She's a Keeper
by yordlepants
Summary: The eyes never lie... Poppy, the Keeper of the Hammer, is a tenacious little yordle determined to find the prophesied hero who can wield the Hammer of Orlon, a legendary weapon passed into her care. Her vast journey eventually takes her to the mystical land of Ionia, where she finds and meets the Heart of the Tempest, the yordle known as Kennen. The rest is history...
1. Prologue

**Note: Heyy, I'm a new writer to fanfiction (i.e. a noob) and I now find myself composing this story for some reason. If you have any suggestions, criticisms or helpful tips/things you enjoyed please don't hesitate to tell me so I can learn off people's thoughts. I'll try to update this story gradually over time, posting new chapters randomly without a fixed schedule.**

**This is only an introductory chapter, and thus it'll be very short compared to future chapters, which may or may not be pretty short too because I'm not super aware of people's standards. Also, this story is told in first person P.O.V. of Poppy and Kennen and each new chapter switches to a different P.O.V.; Poppy's perspective is told in past tense (was, were), while Kennen's is narrated in present tense (is, are). I might integrate P.O.V.'s of other characters in the future.**

**This story is like a trial run for me, where I can somewhat experiment with writing techniques and familiarize myself with them.**

**I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"Maybe the hero is somewhere around… here…", I heaved for the umpteenth time.

I sat wearily on my hammer under the cool shadow of a willow. It had gone on for so long, my continuous search for the potential Hero of Demacia. A noble warrior who could unlock the full potential of my hammer, the Hammer of Orlon, and lead Demacia to greatness.

My eyes widened and I grinned at the thought. It was this hope that kept me going, that fueled my quest. I would, by any means necessary, deliver this grand hammer to its true keeper! I pledged this, I vowed this promise to my friend and mentor, Orlon. He may be long gone physically, but in my heart, memory and, of course, in his, now my hammer, he remained.

I couldn't give up on my purpose.

Though, I never really expected that I would end up going _this _far across Valoran. I scoured sandy Shurima, prissy Piltover, nothing.

I skipped searching in Noxus, of course.

But now I was in Ionia, an island on the polar opposite side of the map from Demacia. This land was rumored to be the home of many powerful warriors, apparently. Well, not that I've seen any. I actually haven't really seen anyone yet. Maybe they're all indoors meditating or running around the spirit realm or something.

I sighed and picked up my hammer, then proceeded to walk on a stony path down a steep hill. From this point, I could see hills and valleys that stretched far beneath the expanse of the sunlit horizon. And spread across those hills and valleys like sprinkles on a cake were settlements; little villages.

"Any one of those," I mumbled wishfully. "Any one of those villages may be where I finally meet that hero."

I began to fantasize, one of my bad habits when my mind was not occupied by anything else.

I daydreamed about finally handing over my hammer to the hero, and proclaiming him as the new, destined Hero of Demacia.

I daydreamed about finally fulfilling my quest, my purpose complete.

I daydreamed about… what I would do… after… it's all… done…

And then I walked smack into a tree. Hard.

"Ugh, ow, darn," I groaned to myself, feeling the imprint of the hard bark on my face. "You need to stop that, Poppy. Quit the daydreaming. You've got a mission. That hero isn't going to find himself, you know."

Typical me, a clumsy yordle. I brushed myself off and continued to my unplanned destination, stirred by determination. Rain or shine, walk or fall, I was going to march on to find this hero!

I laughed. "Alright, I guess I'd better get going."

Suddenly, I heard a soft rumbling noise in the distance. My ears perked up, and I looked over my shoulder. A storm was brewing overhead.


	2. Chapter 1 - Exhaustion

"Show yourself!"

I could feel the energy within me pouring outward, littering the sky and ground around me with static electricity. A storm is forming, right in the clouds above where I stand.

An armed, shadowy figure, literally, stands before me. Another one of Zed's copies, or maybe his lackeys, probably. I grimace. Right now, I'm surrounded by perhaps half a dozen of them, give or take.

The living shadows stare at me. They're so stoic and expressionless, yet daunting. Somehow, I could make out a contemptuous sneer on each of their masked faces.

What is this? Another ambush?

The real Zed is probably hiding far off in the shadows of the trees, out of view. Even from my eyes.

"Show yourself, you coward!" I yell, my voice amplified by a deafening peal of thunder, seconds before one of the illusions runs at me. It throws a shuriken; I dodge it easily and counter with one of my own. It cuts perfectly through the clone, dissipating the shadow just in time for me to see the others converge on my position.

I feel the forced wind from slashing blades brush my nose under my mask. They're coming from all directions now. I dematerialize myself to enter my lightning form, evading their swipes and weapons.

Until one of them makes its mark.

"Gah!" A razor-edged shuriken grazes my side, tearing at my garbs and flesh despite the weapons being composed of shadows.

Disconcerted by pain, I scamper up a nearby cherry blossom tree to tend to my wounds while remaining outside of the shadows' range. As I patch myself up, I notice them brandish their blades in unison.

They turn head and glare at me simultaneously.

Menacingly.

Murderously.

The tree is tall, but the height doesn't stop them from reaching me, as I find out the hard way. One of the shadows swiftly leaps to the branch I'm clinging on, barely scraping my ear with its weapon. Shocked, I turn to find two more quickly lunging at me in a cross formation.

Startled, I leap off the tree and tumble hard onto the ground. In a daze, I count off about eight or nine shadow clones gathered around me.

And then I see the real Zed, positioned roughly in the center of his umbral entourage.

This is just great.

I guess it sort of was a poor idea to venture out here, this close to Order of Shadow whereabouts. But I need to finish this. Oh, if only Master Shen were here…

I had spent loads of my energy fending Zed and his ephemeral doppelgangers off for what seemed like hours. I didn't want it to come to this, but... I do have to survive, right?

I breathe in.

I channel the power of the raging tempest swirling in the sky above me. It's tiring, and risky, but it would be an attack devastating enough to the area around myself. Surely the enemy would retreat…

I feel the full, unfettered force of voltaic energy infuse my blood and veins. I gasp as a bolt of raw lightning strikes me, and I cry out.

Then there's another.

And another.

Soon, lightning from the skies is striking me rapidly. The energy overload is unbearable, but I manage.

The Master of Shadows studies me carefully. Suddenly, the shadows lunge at me at once, blades shining from the spectacle. They ready numerous shuriken throws.

No time to waste.

I release the pure energy built up within me. I bring the storm to the ground, shaking the earth. The shadows are instantly dissolved, the trees and bushes are no less than devastated, and the air crackles with remnants of electricity.

Zed is nowhere to be found. Like he just vanished into thin air.

I use my keen sight, then sniff the air for any trace of him. Nothing; I'm alone.

I trudge forward, away from the cherry blossom tree, totally exhausted. I only make it a few meters before my body gives out and I collapse to the ground.

I feel nothing but aching, pestering pain and the discordant crackle of electricity running through my fur. Then I hear a distant voice call out to me as my eyelids grow heavier and my limbs grow frailer.

And then it's all too quiet.


	3. Chapter 2 - Whoa, a Yordle?

It happened far away, but I could feel its force from here.

A shockwave of raw energy rushed past me from deep in the valley before me. My fur stood on end and my hair flailed wildly. Moreover, it was so blindingly bright that it stunned me for a moment, and I fell to my knees.

Soon after, a deafening sound like booming thunder reached my ears. I cringed and covered them; the sound was so loud, it echoed in my head for almost a minute after it died down.

After the strange ordeal, I looked on and noticed the origin point, where all that ruckus had come from.

A large tree.

Every one of the poor tree's petals were blown away by the torrent, devastated by the shockwave and maybe that loud thunder thing after that. The area around the tree? Wasted, same thing.

I eagerly rushed over to the site. Something so powerful that it blew away the very earth around it… could this be the hero I was seeking?

As soon as I arrived, I immediately scoured the area for someone. My eyes dashed around excitedly and I hoped with all my heart, as usual. Best case scenario: a tall, handsome warrior, muscles bulging, clad in pristine white armor, shining eyes, and burning with pure potential. Worst case scenario…

I suddenly noticed a tiny figure lying in the charred grass, barely a few meters from the bald cherry blossom tree.

It seemed unconscious, and smoke seeped from it. It was sprawled on the ground, unmoving, like it had been hit by a bolt of lightning or something.

I moved closer, ignoring the scent of fried grass. When I studied the small figure, I saw that it was wearing purple hooded clothing like a ninja, hiding most of its face save for its closed eyes. And then I notice that it also had little cat-like ears.

I gasped silently.

A yordle?

I hadn't seen one in what felt like years.

Whatever it was, it seemed badly injured; its fur was all singed, it was unresponsive, but thankfully, its heart was still beating. I decided to take the creature and carry it somewhere safer and quieter. There, I could heal it.

I made upon a small lake within the valley. It was beautiful. The greenery was so lush, and the water so crystal clear that I could see every little pebble at the bottom of the lake. I could even hear songbirds chirp harmoniously, without a care in the world.

I laid the creature down on the soft pasture, its short arms falling to the ground. It sure looked like a yordle to me, though I never thought I would find one, here of all places. As far as I knew, the only yordles I knew who settled outside Bandle City were myself, an apparently genius scientist named Heimerdinger, and a crazy army fanatic who served Noxus. I wouldn't like that guy.

I reached into my pack to pull out some medicinal berries I had leftover from when I fell ill in Shurima last winter. Maybe this would work. I'm no medic, but I had to help the poor thing.

After numerous botched attempts at reviving it, I decided that, maybe, I should get a move on while tending to it. I carried the creature again; it was surprisingly light. Way lighter than my hammer, that was for sure.

"You're so soft, too," I said aloud, holding the furry thing closer to me as I marched forward, now sustaining the weight of both a lightweight yordle and a decently heavy hammer.

If only I had a cart.

I set my eyes on the road in front of me, following a winding pavement down steep hills, rocky plateaus, grassy meadows and other forms of terrain apparently common in Ionia. It was a beautiful sight, honestly. I looked upward and saw twinkling stars amidst a dark sky.

Wait, nighttime already?

I sighed, setting up camp within a secluded thicket of aspens. A campfire was all I needed, really. I put the little creature down in front of my hammer. I glanced at it, hoping it would wake up really soon before I fell asleep. I didn't want it to wake up and and run away while I slept. And I was so tired. And it was so cold.

Out of curiosity, before going to sleep, I decided to examine the creature. I slowly pulled down its mask. For the first time, I got a good look at its face.

Big eyes, a little button nose, large, furry cheeks...

Definitely a yordle.

A male yordle.

I stared at him for a good minute before snapping out of it. I put him on my lap for warmth, laid my head back, and stared at him in the darkness and silence. Soon, I watched as the world around me slowly faded out to black.

And then, I don't know how or why, but the last thing I remembered before drifting off was me smiling contentedly and wrapping my arms around the little yordle.


	4. Chapter 3 - Violet Eyes

I awaken to darkness, still weak from that ordeal.

"…Ugh," I moan. "W-what hap-"

At once, it occurs to me that I'm not alone. It's warm. Something hard, like metal, is coiled around me, with its appendages folded messily across my chest. It has my back against its chest, and on either side of my body, I could feel hair.

_Oh no_, I deduce in a panic. _They got me, haven't they? The Order of Shadows, they've got me! _

On the spur of the moment, I twitch and instinctively discharge a loose current of electricity, instantly shocking my unknown assailant. It promptly relieves me from its grasp, and lets out a high-pitched scream.

"Yaaahhh!"

I jump back and study the creature. I can now see that it's too small to be Zed. It's not even human. It convulses on the ground in pain from my little assault. Serves 'em right.

Then the thing gets up on two feet and brushes itself off. It turns to look at me with large, shining, violet irises. I try to look at the rest of its body, but I'm focused on those eyes. I could get lost in them, almost...

"Hey!"

I get so startled that I emit an audible yelp. I quickly scan the rest of the creature's stubby physique. It's dark, but not a challenge to miss any details. Donned in small plate armor, blonde hair styled in huge pigtails, sizable wolf-like ears, a single pointy tooth sticking from its mouth, a thoroughly annoyed look on its face…

Yep. Believe it or not, it's another yordle.

Here in Ionia?

The yordle is fuming and her body is displaying various signs of anger. "Hey, I saved you," she barks, "and not even a thank you? Instead, you zap me with your lightning thingy?!"

What? She saved me?

She wasn't planning to murder or kidnap me?

I feel my skin for the twinges and throbs I had before. All the major pain is gone, and I don't feel totally exhausted. I just have a few aches here and there. I look around to see where she brought me. A small woodland, a few miles north from where I clashed with Zed.

"Oh… um, sorry," I respond simply, while looking at her. "Thank you."

Her frustration seems to subside the second I speak. Her face is no longer tensed up, and her fists were no longer clenched.

"Oh, it's okay," she replies cheerfully. "I found you lying somewhere over... there."

She points in what I could only assume is a random direction, because I'm certain that I was fighting Zed north from here, not south.

"I thought you were dead!" she cried, breaking my thoughts. "I was so worried!"

This girl's bubbly demeanor surprises me. It sticks out even from other female yordle I kne-

Wait, that's right. Forget it. I am, quite literally, the only yordle who lives in Ionia. Even during the short years I lived in Bandle City when I was a child, I didn't interact much with female yordles, if not at all.

"Yeah, thanks," I say with a weak smile. "I'm... okay now."

"Glad to hear," she responds. "Happy to be of help."

I sit on a nearby stump, wondering what in Runeterra another yordle could be doing outside of Bandle City, here of all places. I scan every part of her body once again for any clues. Hair, nope. Armor, eh. Nose, nope. Tooth, nope. Eyes, sweet...

Suddenly, my eyes catch something I hadn't noticed before.

On the girl's back is an enormous hammer. Well, perhaps it isn't that big, but for a yordle... that thing is literally more than double her size!

A warhammer. Is she a warrior? Is she here to slay some hidden threat or giant beast?

The girl turns away slowly. She probably got stiff and uncomfortable because I was staring at her, unblinking, for a good seven seconds.

I decide to stop her.

"W-wait!"

She swivels back. "Huh?"

"Where are you from? I don't know any yordles who live in Ionia besides myself."

"I'm from Demacia. I traveled here becau-"

At this information, I can't help but rudely interrupt. "What? Demacia?!" I exclaim in shock. "What brings you here?"

"I was just about to explain," she smiles patiently. "See, I've gone, no, embarked! Yeah, embarked on a lifelong, epic quest to fulfill the destiny of m… Demacia. Uh… I've been searching far and wide and, uh, here and there, for uh…"

She's trying to use eloquent speech but she's tripping over her words so much. It's kind of adorable, but ridiculously distracting.

"The glorious Hammer of Orlon, this mighty contrap- uh, weapon over here," she continues. "It was given to me by a guy who had the same name. Orlon, I mean! That's why the hammer is named after him! He said the hammer was destined for a l-legendary hero who could use the full power of the hammer and bring Demacia to glory!"

She stops to catch a breath, while eyeing me nervously. I stare at her intensely to let her know she still has my undivided attention. I am, in fact, quite interested.

"Okay, so, er, I've been searching everywhere for this hero. He could be anywhere. I gotta bring this hammer to him, wherever he is, whoever he is. I can't give up. It's been hard. Whenever I try to give the weapon to someone I think might be worthy, they end up dying or whatever."

Seems like she gave up on the big words.

"I need to be… tenacious." Never mind.

"Wow," I say approvingly. "That sounds, uh…" I don't really know what to say, so I just blurt the most generic thing ever. "Fun?"

Trying to be polite, I decide to tell her about my own affiliation.

"I'm part of the Kinkou," I say.

"King... coo?"

Right. Of course. She isn't Ionian, so she wouldn't know about the Kinkou, or the Order of Shadow, or vastaya, or much else.

I explain the purpose of the Kinkou to her. I inform her about my role as the Heart of the Tempest, my responsibility of Coursing the Sun, and my master, Shen, the Eye of Twilight, and how I had left him at a request for him to do some 'isolated training'.

Yes, Shen wanted me to leave him alone.

"Awww," she coos. "You had a master! Were you a pet?"

"Wh- No…"

"Nah, I'm just joking, silly," she beams, before sighing. Her voice abruptly shifts to a saddened tone. "Although I do miss my friend too…"

"H-hey, it's okay," I step up, trying to comfort her. I do my best to say something kind and reassuring. "I'm here for you." Okay, I regret it. We had barely known each other for ten minutes and I had already gone and said something that intimate. Maybe my brain got a little too fried from that stunt I pulled off earlier?

She just smiles at me.

"Well, I'll be going now. Stay safe."

She turns to leave. Something stirs in me to stop her.

I can't really lie, I have only been with this girl for a few minutes, not counting the unknown time she supposedly cared for me while I was unconscious. I felt awkward around her. Yet I really enjoy her company.

She intrigues me. I want to follow her.

_Why not? _I think. _I don't have much to do here, anyway. Not until Shen finishes his 'extensive training'. Maybe I could go visit Akali?_

I run after her impulsively.

"H-hang on! I'll come with you!" I yell.

The girl pauses mid-step and slowly turns to look at me. She twists around and simultaneously loses her balance.

"Wha- Whoa..."

I flash up to her and catch her in my arms before she falls down. The end of her huge hammer crushes my toe, but I hide my pain.

"You heard me right. I want to come with you," I say, looking down at her. I try to suppress the tiny sparks of electricity forming at my fingertips, which happens when I get nervous. "I can help you find that hero you're looking for."

She looks up, straight at me. Her face turns red, but she stares at me for a while, surveying my face.

"Um, sure," she answers timidly. She releases herself and looks around. "I gotta admit, though. I'm lost. Think you could show me around?"

"Okay."

"We could be good friends," she adds.

"Okay."

So I'm now this girl's travel buddy. I follow her wherever she goes. Not like a pet, but more like... like she said, a friend.

The sun peeks out from above the Ionian horizon, a sliver of light amidst the oppressive darkness. Dawn is slowly approaching.

How bad could this really be?


	5. Chapter 4 - The Little Tower

Normally, yordles came off as nothing special to me. I didn't get them; too fluffy.

But that aside, for whatever reason, I never thought I would be so happy to find another yordle. And now he was going to join me on my quest to find my hero!

I was ecstatic, but I didn't show it. Normally, I would have dismissed someone who tried to tag along on my journey, but I couldn't say no to this guy for some reason. I saw something in him that I liked, but I didn't know what. His sky blue eyes, his passiveness, maybe? I wasn't sure. He stood idly behind me, staring blankly at me as I lifted my hammer.

"Whew, okay," I started after a pause, but then I realized I didn't know the yordle's name. "Hang on, what's your name?" I asked.

"Kennen," he answered meekly. I caught a spark in his eyes.

"Well, nice name."

He looked away, clearly embarrassed. I didn't know what for; it was a nice name. "Uh, thanks," he said. I was hoping he would ask for my name in return, but no such luck. He stared off into the dimly lit sky. Maybe later.

"Let's get going," I said cheerfully.

I walked on toward twinkling lights in the dawn, captivated by the beauty of the Ionian landscape. Kennen followed me timidly, and I noticed a limp in his step. It looked like the poor guy hadn't fully recovered yet.

Soon, he caught up to me and we began walking side by side, viewing the mystical spectacles flowing in the expanse around us. We saw birds singing, winds blowing, leaves fluttering, and various exotic flora and fauna thriving, without a word being spoken. I stole quick glances at him from time to time, but he would always be staring off into the distance. This went on for half an hour, I think.

It was kind of awkward.

I quickly scanned the ninja for some conversation material, but I wasn't exactly a social whiz. I was an introvert, but it looked like Kennen was an even bigger one. I did want to ask him a lot of questions, but I was too shy. I fidgeted with my pigtails, constantly looking at him while he was distracted.

"You're looking for a hero," Kennen said out of the blue. "Do you know what he looks like?"

"Well, no, I don't," I replied. "I'll know who it is by seeing who can use it well. Smash a couple of monsters or something. Maybe even a dragon. Some people I test end up dying because they don't know how to use the hammer properly."

We walked past a crystal clear azure pond, dotted with lilypads and reeds. I could see our reflections clearly within the water, even amongst the occasional ripples that graced the pond's surface. I caught Kennen staring at my back, scrutinizing my hammer.

Suddenly, a thought came to me.

"Hey, Kennen."

"Yes?"

"Try using my hammer. Maybe you're the hero!"

"That's admittedly impossible," he retorted. "I've been fighting for Ionia for years. You said the hero you're searching for will be someone who can lead Demacia to victory, if I'm correct. Demacia is little more than a legend to me."

"Just try it," I pleaded. "Think fast!"

I tossed my hammer at him and he shrieked. He caught it by the handle with surprisingly speedy reflex, but dropped the weapon almost immediately after he touched it.

"It's so heavy," he panted. "How in the world do you manage to carry this thing around?"

"I manage," I answered with a smile. So Kennen wasn't the hero, but no biggie. Maybe I was being too optimistic. I believed, after all, that I would find that hero, no matter what. Eventually.

_Eventually..._

The two of us kept walking forward for almost an hour, as the dawn passaged into early morning. We marched steadily down a little stone path, until we came to an area where the air suddenly cooled. Shadows draped the path, even though there weren't many trees nearby. It was eerily quiet; no birds chirping, insects buzzing or anything, just the occasional uneasy sound of wind.

Kennen's eyes widened. "I think we should move," he whispered, preparing to step off the pathway.

"Why?"

He pointed to a structure erected in the center of a small field, also cloaked by shadows. It looked like a tower of some sort. Strange symbols dotted the exterior walls. There were a few windows on the sides, but I couldn't see if anyone was in the building. There didn't seem to be a door, and four balconies, probably one for each direction, could be seen near the roof.

"It's an Order of Shadows outpost. Shadow assassins could be nearby," Kennen explained, seemingly freaked out. "I don't know about you, but I'm relatively weak at this moment. If there happens to be a mass ambush, I don't know if we could-"

"Oh, we'll be fine."

"Can't we take a detour instead?" he proposed, pointing to an even darker forest off to the side. "I don't think this is safe."

"I'm here. I'll protect you, I-I promise. Stay close to me."

Kennen reluctantly agreed. We advanced quietly through the meadow, trying to match the noiseless silence of our surroundings. The air was still. Shadows rushed about oddly, and the sun seemed to fade away, retreating behind wispy clouds as we neared the small tower.

Suddenly, something grabbed my left hand. I almost wriggle myself free and grab my ham-

Oh, it was just Kennen. I held his hand more tightly and felt my face flush a little. It was only right that I made him feel as comfortable as possible; the poor yordle was already frail from his little incident the other day, and now I was making him pass through this admittedly pretty shady area. I peered at him. He was looking about frantically, his eyes opened wide and zig-zagging all over the place.

I thought about tapping him on the shoulder just to see his reaction, but decided against it. I was a nice yordle. I didn't want to antagonize him.

We were only a few meters away from the little structure now. I voluntarily switched spots with Kennen, moving to his left as we passed the right of the building, so that I would be the one closer to it. He eyed the tower nervously, inspecting everything, from its dull gray bricks to its dingy windows.

I wasn't afraid in the slightest.

After a few minutes, we walked out of the shadows, into the warm, welcoming morning. The sun was back. We had followed the little pathway, and even through that shady little area, we were still fine. Nothing had happened.

"See? That wasn't so bad," I smiled, letting go of his hand.

Kennen didn't respond. His eyes shifted between the ground in front of him and the field we had just emerged from. The ominous shadows were gone now, but he still looked as scared as when we were passing by the tower.

I glanced back. All was normal. Just a little outpost in the middle of a shadowy field.

"Let's get going," Kennen said quickly, gazing forward. In front of us were more fields, but unlike the meadow we had just left, they were very much well-lit and very peaceful looking. We walked off, further into the green pastures.

Out of curiosity, I looked back.

The shady area we left was the same as before. A small structure erected in the center of a small field, cloaked by shadows. Symbols on the walls. Windows on the sides. No door, and four balconies spread out evenly under the roof.

And I thought I saw someone watching us from one of the balconies, but it was probably just a shadow.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Bandlewood

I have to admit, that was terrifying. Nonchalantly treading straight through Order of Shadows property like that. If we were to encounter Zed or any hostiles, I honestly wouldn't be much of a match in my current state. Even though I had been patched up and it has been almost a day, my muscles are tense and my head throbs. It's almost noon, and the usually gentle light from the Ionian sun makes me want to collapse.

But my new acquaintance is fearless. She didn't show any signs of panic or hesitancy while we were strolling through that shadowy field. Meanwhile, my eyes were shooting all over the place, paranoid, looking for even the slightest indication of imminent danger. When I wasn't nervously looking around, I was glancing at _her_, at her face, her eyes positioned straight ahead and devoid of fear.

Then, I realized something. She was brave, and I admired that about her.

Back to the present, though. Now we're out of that horrible forsaken place, and back where the sun actually shines. A new stone path coils around the lush springlike grass, winding around wee hills and flat meadows. Flowers dotted the fields, more so on the right, where the sunlight beamed on the foliage even more generously.

Distracted, I make off to observe the flowers. They littered the empty spaces around tufts of grass. Peonies, irises, chrysanthemums, dandelions. Even I didn't know flora piqued my interest to _this _extent. Tulips, marigolds, a pink corn-shaped flower of sorts, an orange-lipped beauty propped up on a stalk, what else?

I glance over to my right to spot a small clutch of flowers, dark in the center and crowned with vivid red petals.

Poppies. My favorite flowers. I stop to pick a few, about, seven, before I notice my friend quickly run off, as if ditching me while my attention is diverted.

I get up. "Hey, wait!" I call after the girl, racing after her.

She scurries into a nearby forest of pines, unhindered by her hefty hammer. Seriously, how does she, perhaps only an inch or two taller than me, have the strength to carry something relatively massive like that? I catch up to her with relative ease; at least my speed hasn't dwindled.

She suddenly halts and extends her arm, signaling me to stay put. My feet come to an abrupt stop, and she pulls me behind a hollow bole.

"Do you hear that?" she whispers, extremely quietly.

I tune my ears and take about ten seconds to discern one sound from another within the prolific greenwood. Nothing special; one could hear the sound of leaves blowing, and the odd _thump _of a small object or creature falling to the ground. But I also hear the screeching of some primate vastaya in the trees above us. I hear some _whooshing_, then _fwooshing_, then something like a delayed puff of smoke.

"I think that may be Wukong, the Monkey King," I whisper back. "He's a monkey vastaya. He's probably training with his tribe. Or maybe Master Yi."

"No, not that. Listen closely."

_Wait, really? _I think in disbelief. _Did I miss something? _I concentrate my hearing once more and try to listen for something beyond the rustling noises within the forest canopy.

And then I hear it. Silent as the softest of breezes, but clear as day.

A faint humming. Any softer and it would be unnoticeable. The girl turns to me.

I nod, and she smiles. "What so you think that is?"

"Mosquitoes," I joke, having nothing intelligent to say. She rolls her eyes.

"No. It's a bandlewood."

"Come again?"

"A bandlewood." I could almost see stars in her eyes. "A magical yordle haven. A portal to Bandle City."

"How can you tell?" I question her curiously. Perhaps knowledge like this came off as normal to most yordles, but never in my life had I heard of a 'bandlewood' before. Or maybe it was mentioned in yordle school at one point, but I wasn't listening.

_A portal to the home of the yordles, she said?_ I contemplated rigorously as memories and questions alike whizzed through my mind._ I've always traveled through the spirit realm to navigate places like these. Whenever I decide to return to Bandle City for whatever reason, I just, I literally teleport there. No need for 'bandlewood'... Also, doesn't this mean that other beings can sneak in unpermitted? That would be cause for danger. These so-called 'portals' seem like-_

"Yordle sense," she replies simply, intruding my thoughts.

"Huh, okay." Weird. I live here and I have never happened upon any unnatural spots like this, yet she knows more about this 'bandlewood' than me. She has my attention though, so I keep quiet, hoping she would say something else.

A breeze sweeps us by, blowing one of her golden pigtails into my face.

"Sorry."

But I ignore her. I'm focused on specks of colorful, prismatic magic dust fluttering all around us, carried by the wind. It's strange in an almost logic-defying sense; they appear to be blown from the north, yet they are coming at us from all directions.

_What in the world?_

Without warning, the girl bounds further into the forest, disappearing into the pines.

I scramble after her, curious, worried, and afraid of being left alone once again. I jump through a thicket of needles and pinecones and roll onto a flat, grassy surface, my back and arms covered with little green needles and detritus. Then I come to a clearing.

It's almost unnatural. There lies an immaculate circle of lush grass, untouched by any creature before I arrived. Various, beautiful flowers grow on the floor in amazing clusters, and above the area is a loose canopy of vines and branches, like a broken roof, allowing sunlight to seep in. Wisps of colorful magic dot the air, dancing like lightning bugs on a perfectly dark night.

So magical. So serene. So… peaceful.

Suddenly, my friend scares the living sparks out of me by running through the same entrance behind me. She appears to miss me altogether, and trips over my back, tumbling nose first into the grass. The tip of her hammer falls on my rear and I wince in pain. That's the second time.

"Oh, no," I gasp after a quick recovery, reaching out to her and ignoring my own pain once more. "I'm so sorry!"

"Actually, ah, I'm fine... that was my bad. I'm always so clumsy," she admits sheepishly, propping herself up. "I'm just a bit of a klutz, haha. Uh, whoops."

"No, it's no problem," I say reassuringly. "Just be more careful."

She turns away from me, embarrassed. I notice her nose is bleeding a little.

"Pinch the soft area of your nose," I instruct her. "Hold it for a few minutes."

She obliges. She sits on her hammer and holds her nose for a few minutes while I make off to lie on the grass and bask in the sunlight. The warmth on my fur and clothes, while I lie on the soft greenery, feels so overwhelmingly relaxing. I feel happy.

"Thanks," she says quietly, as her bleeding calms. She gets up and sits to my left, her legs crossed.

I get up and I'm about to say something. Ultimately, I lie down again, surrounded by flowers, and soak in the sun for what seems like a blissful eternity. All around us, the sound of nature whistling and avians chirping fills the air. _This would be a great place to die_, I think morbidly, chuckling to myself. I grow sleepy as the comfort of the forest itself seems to stroke my fur.

I must be lying there, eyes closed, completely still save for my vital organs working, for at least three minutes before my friend says something that gets my brain working again.

"This is a bandlewood…"

I jolt up in surprise, shocking her. Literally.

"S-sorry," I apologize. "How do you know?"

"Yordle sense," she says. Again.

"Seriously?"

"Yup. Bandle is just around the corner," she cheers excitedly, casually rubbing the electricity from her fur. It crackles discordantly, but it doesn't faze the determined look in her eyes in the slightest. "Come on, Kennen. We're going to Bandle City."

This is news to me. "Huh? What, why?"

"Just-"

"Aren't you on a mission?"

"Well, there could always be someone in Bandle. You know, I've never really thought about it until I saw this bandlewood. The hero I've been looking for could be hiding right under my nose this whole time."

She grabs me by the hand and drags me to an isolated, well-lit corner of the grove.

"This," she breathes, "is where the magic happens."

Before us is a small golden archway of twisted roots and branches that I failed to notice before. The magic lights are even more prevalent around here, and I can't help but stare in awe. Beyond the archway is a path defined by thick foliage and brambles, one you could barely make out even if you were specifically looking for it. I could see the little trail twist off to the right at some point.

My friend steps through, unhindered. The magic lights dance around her and float down the hidden pathway. She gazes back at me, a twinkle in her eyes, and smiles.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah." I speed after her and stumble over an unseen root. She laughs warmly and reaches out to help me up. I take her hand and brush the dust and sparkles off my clothing, before looking into the pathway, then at her. I'm a little apprehensive, yet I smile, enough that she could recognize it through my mask, and give her an agreeing nod. She grins back.

We saunter forward, cheek by jowl, advancing further into the true bandlewood.


	7. Chapter 6 - The Keeper's Purpose

As we ventured deeper into the bandlewood, reality seemed to twist and bend our surroundings in magical, unexplainable ways.

Wild swathes of primal magic swirled freely around us as we walked, appearing to be completely undeterred by any laws of physics or sorcery. The roots and brambles that once coursed idly through the covert walkway unraveled furiously, yet so gracefully. Specks of energy, magic, fireflies, I don't even know, flickered and flew past us by the myriads.

It was surreal, but truly breathtaking, to say the very least.

Kennen jittered excitedly next to me, as if agreeing with my thoughts.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked as a waft of green magic rushed past my face, blowing my hair around.

"Yeah. It is."

We walked in silence for a few moments, listening to the fantastical sounds around us. You could hear chimes, bells, and other random, beautiful sounds, all scattered independently of each other but still somehow managing to form something like a sweet, melodious chorus. Passing through a bandlewood took awhile, sure, but all the time spent inside was definitely worth the trip.

"Come here, Kennen," I spoke after a few minutes, totally inebriated by the beauty around us. By now, the forest and the bandlewood realm had intertwined; trees glowed with magical splendor, and stars shot across the colorful sky.

No answer from Kennen. Instead, he twitched uncomfortably. He was a few meters behind me; he had stopped moving seconds ago.

I instantly snapped out of my trance. "Kennen?"

No response. He began to shake even more violently, making high-pitched, disconnected sounds. I thought I could make out foam bubbling at the cliff of his lip.

"Uh… K-Kennen?!"

It only became worse. He was now practically suffering from spasms. His eyes were glassed over and he sputtered out incomprehensible gibberish. He jerked in place spontaneously and unpredictably. He was coughing out electricity in huge amounts, too. He was unable to stop as his body involuntarily went bonkers and convulsed wildly.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that Kennen had more than likely never entered a bandlewood before.

I shifted frantically. Was I going to have to save him for the second time in less than a day?

I scoffed, cringing at the thought; until I saw that his eyes had turned a ghostly shade of white and he was coughing up little, but still noticeable amounts of blood. The red liquid dissolved away as it contacted the mystically altered air.

I flew into a panic as lights streamed in the midst above us. I had little medical experience, but I'd saved him yesterday. Maybe it was just luck? I could do it again, I could. I hoped…

_What's causing this? _I wondered in agitation as I stared down my flashy surroundings._ Does Kennen have epilepsy? Did something in him change or break from the day before? Maybe I could give him a good whack with my hammer? _Silly ideas. I decided to remain civil and level-headed, and opted for a more reasonable alternative. First, I put my hand against his chest, checking for his condition.

His heart was still.

I gawked at this revelation. It felt like my own heart, too, had gone inert, interrupted by pure dread. At that moment, I knew I only had one option that I would have preferred to avoid by most means. I really didn't want to do it, but I knew his life depended on it. Like I said, I didn't know much medicine. But I did know a life-saving procedure called CPR, to an extent, whatever that stands for.

I glanced at Kennen's body; it was almost fully sedated, having ceased with the spasms. I squinted at him, felt his unmoving chest again and hesitated for just a moment. But time, oh-so-precious time was running out by the second.

Then, on impulse, I took his chin, lifted his head up and removed his mask.

My shoulders quivered and I reluctantly locked lips with the yordle, hoping no one, not even an insect, was watching, even in such a secluded place. As our mouths made contact, I could feel my face flush and turn beet red. My cheeks steamed up, and I wanted to release myself from him as quickly as possible. But I pressed on and tried my best to breathe life into him, telling myself that his life depended on me, and me alone.

Finally, I unstuck from him, gasping. I immediately focused my attention to compressing his chest. He had long since stopped with the senseless convulsions, but his eyes were still white and he was now drooling. Not to mention, his heart was still unresponsive. I didn't even know if I was doing this correctly.

In the midst of the panic, I began to cry.

Sure, I had barely known Kennen for a day. But if I failed to save his life, which I had pulled off before, I would fail my duty as his friend. He wanted to join with me on my quest, and I had agreed. If he died, it was my fault. I vowed to not let Orlon down, and I could do the same with Kennen. Plus, I really liked the guy…

Tears streamed down my face, soaking Kennen's. I kept trying, I gave him mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions simultaneously, as much as I hated it. But I didn't care, I had to bring him back, and that was all that mattered.

"Poppy..."

I heard a voice echo to me from somewhere. Was I dreaming? I looked at Kennen. He was still unconscious, but he had stopped moving. I quivered at the thought. Was he dead?

"Poppy..."

I turned around to find the source of the enchanting voice, but it seemed to be coming from all directions at once. At the same time, it seemed to be from someone speaking within my mind. Like my conscience, but not at the same time. A presence that was everywhere, yet nowhere. It was all so perplexing.

"Bring him forward. Come down the path, Poppy," the ethereal voice chanted. "You and your friend shall arrive in the Yordlehome."

"You mean Bandle City?" I sobbed. This was making out to be too much for me. I was not fit for saving a life, not once but twice. I was no hero. Just a yordle with a hammer.

"Bring him forward."

Stiffening my grip on Kennen's motionless body, I obeyed the mysterious entity, whatever it was, and carried my friend with me as I walked forward, slowly and worriedly. I didn't feel right trusting the hostless disembodied voice, but what choice did I have? I trudged through the remainder of the mystical bandlewood, carrying the weight of my hammer, my breastplate, my yordle companion, and a sense of crushing guilt; the last being the heftiest load of all. I kept reminding myself that if Kennen died, it would be because he followed me, and I agreed. All because I wanted a friend. I was to blame.

Desperately, I searched his chest for a pulse with my ear. Nada. Nothing.

We had reached a point in the portal where the unfettered magic danced crazily and almost violently around us, spontaneously erupting and glowing to varying degrees and pulsing unnaturally. Foliage around us had disappeared completely; the material world had vanished altogether, and all around us was undisturbed eddies of light and energy. Our magical vicinity only glowed brighter as I walked further with my stuff.

All at once, the way before me was illuminated with overwhelming prismatic energy, and I found myself succumbing to the void.

* * *

The first thing I felt when I regained consciousness was the sun gently warming my fur.

I whimpered, perturbed. I had the jarring sensation that I had a horrible dream. One I couldn't remember the details of, except for the constant feeling of magic in the air; a near-undescribable feeling.

The environment was hazy and unclear. Yet still, the sun shone brightly like a ray of optimism, and the sky was a clear blue, with streaks and swathes of fluffy white cloud smeared about, here and there, like an artist's masterpiece. Under the picturesque sky were peaceful fields of green, upon which sat gorgeous deciduous trees of many types, familiar buildings, people, and of course, me.

I looked up to find a tall, well-built human man knelt in front of me, looking down at me with crystalline blue eyes. He was clad in stainless iron mail. The man's head was crowned by short, hazel brown hair, and his face by a short beard of identical color. Men worked tirelessly behind him, filled with determination. Builders, warriors, excavators, explorers, you name it. And then I saw it: The man held a massive warhammer behind his back.

Orlon.

I sat up and searched for my own hammer, usually hoisted up by one of my arms or strapped to my back. I felt around, only to find air. _Where had my hammer gone?_

At first, the man observed me with worry in his expression. But when I fully came to, he grinned heartily.

I was about to say something, but I couldn't. I was silenced by some unknown force. Apprehension? Expectation? Awe, respect, maybe? But no matter how hard I tried, all I could do was stare at my friend and mentor as my willpower seemed to wilt under his.

He spoke, authority and warmth in his bold voice. His words were like a breath of fresh air.

"Poppy. Remember your purpose."

I fawned over his words.

"You were never one to give up. The Keeper of the Hammer, a true hero, never gives up. You were always one to look forward to everything with optimism."

He gave me a smile, one which only great friends shared between each other. He lectured me about my values and beliefs while the sun blazed overhead. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't. I tried to speak. I couldn't.

He expressed his speech again, with an air of finality. "You must never give up, Poppy. I may be gone, but I have never given up on you. Neither has Demacia. Neither has the world."

The sky gave in to darkness as clouds eclipsed the sun and the image of my long-gone friend faded into shadow. His words stuck to me like... like a good hammerin' to the face. I pondered over his advice, crouching in the now-gloomy landscape, eyes fixated on sullen ground. Suddenly, I'm able to do something.

I cried.

As I shut my eyes, tears soaking my cheeks like twin rivers, I felt like a great burden was lifted off my shoulders, as well as my mind. I felt so much lighter.

The hammer. My armor. The yordle on my back. That oppressive, almost cruel feeling of guilt. All of it, it was all gone. I was, at long last, finally free. Free.

Until I realized: something I still yearned to keep had been taken away from me.

Just as I felt myself get slung out of darkness and back into reality, I called its name.

"Kennen?"


	8. Chapter 7 - The Heart's Evocation

I struggle to think.

When did it become like this?

I strain my mind, trying to focus. I'm trapped in a lucid dream, taken hostage by my own thoughts while I have absolutely no conscious awareness of what's happening in the real world. Somehow, I can't even begin to recall what happened in the real world, the real Runeterra, before the dream, but I'm fully aware that I am indeed dreaming. Reality_ isn't_ like this.

And here I am, forced into a waking corner of my mind.

I'm in a vivid memory of Ionia, it seems. I begin to enter a semi-trance; I'm in a state where I'm fully aware of my actions, yet trying no resistance. I walk through through my foggy dreamscape, and encounter a small valley, passing an entourage of monks before the terrain dips into a steep face and the air becomes clear. I can't seem to interact with anything; all I can do is just walk through the dream and feel... feelings. It's like experiencing a vivid recollection over which I have no control over.

I advance forward as a massive mountain face, splashed with gray, reveals itself amidst the haze. I can barely make out small buildings, obscured from view, lying in the surreal expanse before me. They grow closer as I approach, as well as more... familiar.

And then I realize: these aren't just any normal thoughts.

No... these are memories.

All at once, my mind clears and the thick fog of my dream is dispersed, leaving behind an explicit memory of a village. As I walk deeper within the restful town, buildings I once recognized make themselves apparent. At the very end of the village, like a crown jewel embedded into the mountainside, I glimpse the temple of Great Master Kusho, Shen's late father and the former Eye of Twilight. The dwelling of the Kinkou Order. My old home. Before everything was shaken off balance. Before order was disrupted. Before the axis of peace was forever tilted…

I walk inside and relinquish the familiarity of it all. Straw mats. Traditional rice screens. Meditation corners. Training dummies. Weapon racks. I peer at all the Order's items and antique relics so proudly and elegantly placed in all areas of the temple. As I step through the main doorway, I clean my feet, although unblemished, on a mat - old customs never change. Walking further, I observe student and teacher alike, training and sparring, listening and studying.

Eventually I see _myself_, somehow. A young Kennen, a yordle without a role, twitching and fidgeting as he struggles to pay attention to his teachers. Myself, from all those years ago. I was more unwise. More naive. And so, so much more energetic; never at peace with myself. I witness myself receive the high honor of becoming a member of the Kinkou Order, and then the _highest _honor of becoming one of the Kinkou triumvirate. I watch as Great Master Kusho ceremoniously entrusts me with the all-encompassing duty of _Coursing the Sun_. My dream-self accepts it with an impetuous, '_yeah, whatever' _kind of attitude that I now find so evidently shameful; if only I, my present self, could inform him of the Heart's importance.

Suddenly, the years seem to speed up. Time is accelerating, or so it seems in my dream. Seasons pass in moments. Kusho grows, showing signs of old age. But his apparent wisdom and noble conviction never seems to falter. One beautiful spring day, amidst an air of fluttering sakura petals, I head to the highest floor of the building without hesitation, almost as if by instinct. As if compelled by an internal force.

There I find him again. No, wait. This time, I find _them_.

Great Master Kusho is standing on a wide balcony protruding from the temple's uppermost sanctum, in front of a splendid vista of the land the temple is situated on. From here, one could make out dozens of cherry blossom trees, ravines, hills and far-off Ionian mountain ranges as they scrape against the grand skyline. Of course, before us lay the village with its humble structures and amenities; one may glimpse animals and townsfolk as they carry out their daily lives and duties, whatever they may be, in their little civilization. It is a magnificent view, and one I knew so well.

Two young boys sit in front of the old man, listening to a lecture.

Shen and Zed.

My master and his traitor.

I watch them apprehensively, knowing what would happen next but wondering when my dream would take me there. The two students once got along so well, like brothers. I can hardly believe that the two have become the way they are now: bitter life-and-death enemies, clashing blade for blade, mirthlessly warring over spilled blood and clan ideology. Watching them in a safe, secure friendship like this, though only in a dream, feels almost… wrong.

Suddenly, I'm no longer standing on the balcony.

We are in the temple courtyard, gathered around something. Kusho, along with Shen, Zed, and an entourage numerous Kinkou devotees. They all crowd around something... no, someone. A fine-built young man, taller than Shen and Zed, cowers in the center of the congregation. Kusho approaches him and utters his name.

"Khada Jhin."

I wince in horror as the name bolds itself in my memory, and I recall how it all unraveled. A horrible memory this was. The Kinkou had captured the notorious '_Golden Demon_', a mere man; but a man who was a plague running around unhindered through the expanses of Ionia, murdering innocents for 'performance'. I see Zed step forward, a vengeful conviction in his eyes. He lifts his steeled blades to strike the man, who only whimpers more in anticipation for execution. But Kusho stops him.

I feel something. Something other than bland emotion from watching this replay of events of the Kinkou Order within a dream. I feel a deep, grudging feeling of resentment. It feels so real, I swear it isn't just within my thoughts.

I could feel what Zed felt in that moment.

I feel his indignation. I knew, I always knew, along with my colleagues: the young acolyte believed that the _Golden Demon _should be brought to justice via nothing less than a swift execution. The murders he had witnessed were far too gruesome for his fathoming, and they seriously scarred him. And the man he believed to be his mentor refused him this justice. He had been denied.

As punishment for the countless lives he had taken, Khada Jhin's only punishment is incarceration. I see Zed grow bitter; a heart turned corrupt with a toxic seed of contempt. Within the dream, I watch silently as he disobeys the Kinkou Order, his clan, home and family, seeking and unlocking a forbidden power. The darkness he uncovers takes over his mind, heart and soul, forging a new, _evil _man.

_The truth lies in darkness._

The entire Kinkou Clan, including Master Kusho himself, try to stop him. To my great horror, I witness our former ally murder them all. Even Great Master Kusho, his former teacher, ultimately falls prey to his blades, a sight I could not bear to watch. I gaze helplessly as Zed seizes the temple he once called his home, amassing corrupted, shadowy acolytes to aid him in his harrowing takeover. Only a small fraction of the original Kinkou band remains, including Shen and myself. Shen becomes a leader, tasking himself with the philosophy of _Watching the Stars_, and carrying on his father's legacy and duty, now bearing the title of the Eye of Twilight.

The temple and village are no more; now hostile territory to the Kinkou. For one to attempt to tread on the once-benevolent lands of the clan was to beg for death. The traitor, Zed, not only ejected us out of our property by force, and murdered masses of our society, but he had proceeded even further and founded his own clan. The clan touched by darkness and fueled by shadowy hate. The Order of Shadows.

The First Lands are no longer safe - Shen, myself, and the rest of the Kinkou Order realize we need to be _very _careful, for with Zed's presence, our very lives are thwarted. Dread and the threat of demise lurks around every corner; every cherry blossom tree, every stone archway, even every little innocent bush. Within every shadow. The night itself reeks of trepidation. Shen leads the overwrought remnants of the Kinkou to a distant, isolated mountain range, where our new, provisional home and training grounds would be; relatively safe, and far away from the glaring watch of the Order of Shadows. Recruits are taken in, as our dwindling numbers could sustain no more loss.

In time, I witness the blooming of a new recruit: Akali. I watch with sweltering difficulty, knowing full well what would happen; this dream, though I did not understand its purpose, has been exact thus far.

I perceive her struggles, enduring trying tests of spirit to train to become the Kinkou's new Fist of Shadow after her mother. Shen, alongside her mother and myself, teaches the girl and cares for her, passing to her the spiritual discipline of _Pruning the Tree_, exercising his role as Kinkou master and Eye of Twilight. I watch as Akali grows in the temple under our tutelage, passionately undergoing training from the rest of us with a remarkable flair for battle. I watch, almost tearfully, as I see myself demonstrate to the young girl how to throw her first shuriken; she strikes a target dummy in its straw-laden chest, displaying force accompanied by deadly accuracy - a student with potential.

Time passes as Akali is raised to _become _the Fist of Shadow.

At last, I watch with great regret as Akali denounces the teachings of the clan and excludes herself from Shen, the blue-clad ninja powerless to intervene. She abandons the guardianship of the clan; it has been apparent that all those years of spiritual honing came to be all for naught. She sets off to defend Ionia as a peerless fighter, determined, an action I am still befuddled by to this day.

I hate to see them go.

I begin to lose my grip on the dream as my vision fades, my mind falls to a slumber. It is then that I glimpse something horrible, something dark, something _unfathomable _shambling towards me. I could barely make it out with my murky conscience, but it is a figure cloaked in shadow, with wicked blades at what seemed to be arms by its sides. It leers at me with cold, baleful white eyes, in contrast to the rest of its tenebrous appearance.

"_Darkness,_" it whispers in a raspy voice. "_I'm coming for you."_

I freeze, terrified by the cryptic yet straightforward message. The monster is easy to interpret, yet difficult to understand. It wordlessly informs me: in the real world, imminent and inevitable danger is approaching, pursuing me even, though in what form I do not know.

The demon cackles hoarsely and opens its mouth, revealing two rows of numerous jagged, yellow fangs and a seemingly endless maw. As it laughs, it opens its mouth wide and closes in around me, as if preparing to consume me; but I'm unable to act. Suddenly, it disappears with the shadows as fear melts around me, leaving me suspended in darkness. At last, I feel myself slipping out of unconsciousness; my grasp on the real world is returning, and I'm waking up. But before I do, something blissful happens. Before I stir to the real world, I find peace. I find serenity. An ephemeral state of tranquility, as my mind loosens of all thoughts of the past, memories, danger, darkness, and demons.

It's so precious, even if only for a moment.


	9. Chapter 8 - A Fresh Set of Eyes

The shroud of darkness parted, revealing a dazzling light which danced in my eyes and eventually dwindled until it was no more. From this, physical, corporeal things came into sight. I could finally make sense of the world around me, and properly distinguish reality - the real world - from my imagination. The _real _smell of grass. _Real _trees, bushes and other foliage. _Real _air I was breathing.

This was it. I had left the bandlewood.

I peeked through a tangle of loose branches, excited. Leaving the bandlewood could only mean one thing. Before me was none other than the fabled Bandle City. The home of the yordles. My birthplace. I never really had much appreciation for this place, but for whatever reason, I did now. The bandlewood, too; I was never fond of magic, but this time around, I was completely captivated by it.

I laid my belongings on the ground and gasped in amazement, admiring a neat, once-familiar view. In the distance, tiny specks that were yordles frolicked under a hazy golden sky. The very air itself was entrancing; exotic, appealing scents wafted through the air temptingly. I noted the architecture of the place, which never changed since I first saw it; humble barn-like wooden houses, mushroom-fashioned homes and more, totally different from the majestic Demacian architecture I was used to, dotted the area. Fiery-leaved trees were scattered liberally everywhere I looked, some bearing delicious fruit. It was almost like spring and autumn coexisted in this place.

I quickly swiveled around and in my sheer excitement, I nearly tripped over Kennen.

I almost forgot.

Wait-! Kennen…

Was he okay?

I dashed over to his still body and knelt on the grass, bent over him as I was wracked with concern. Was he dead? Had the bandlewood actually killed him somehow? Fearful, I hoped for his life. Maybe I could, as much as I loathed it, try CPR on him again. Maybe it would work now that we weren't in some magical portal between worl-

Out of the blue, Kennen shot up without warning, his head hitting my face - simultaneously making me yelp in surprise, shattering my thoughts and reintroducing that stupid bloody nose.

But I was so relieved that he was alive that I ignored the pain. I coiled my arms around him and squeezed him with such force that he squeaked like a mouse. I screamed joyfully. My face was riddled with tears and blood, but I didn't care. I was just glad he was alive, and I thought that was all that mattered.

When I finally released him, he fell to the ground again. Well, so much for all that.

"What in Ionia," Kennen managed, "what the heck happened… where are we…?"

So he really didn't know. I chose to spare him the details of his unknowing near-death experience, so as to retain my dignity and to not scare the poor guy.

"We've arrived," I exclaimed with a childish build-up. "We're… in… Bandle City!" Jazz hands.

"Exciting."

To my surprise, he didn't seem excited. I think. It was hard to tell because of the mask over his face, but looking at his eyes, he appeared kind of sleepy. The ninja slowly stood up studied me with a weird look on his face.

"Your nose is bleeding again," he commented.

"Yeah, thanks," I replied sarcastically. "Come on, let's go... wherever we're going."

I foraged through a thicket of green, with Kennen plodding lazily behind me; kind of uncharacteristic of him. We were in a nature-carved trail, like the one we traveled through before we entered the bandlewood portal. This small pathway displayed similar features compared to the previous one - winding roots and branches hugging the edges of the place, but it was downhill, there were less magic lights, and I could find occasional yordle tracks, such as footprints, claw marks or tiny tufts of shed fur. Even a few trinkets here and there. I picked up a broken yordle-sized watch sitting underneath a faintly glowing fern.

_Hmm, haven't seen these in a while, _I noted to myself, studying the object. _I'm way too used to seeing and using human-sized objects back in Demacia. I haven't been home, as in Demacia, not Bandle, in a while. I kind of miss it..._

We walked in silence, with barely a sound passing between the two of us as we peeked all around us for the unfamiliar yet homey sights of Bandle City. In between my light footsteps and the infrequent crunching of leaves or twigs (Kennen was walking completely silently), I could hear the unmistakable sound of running water; a river or creek of some sort was nearby.

After barely four minutes, we left the greeny tunnel and the ground became level again. The walkway broadened, and the path itself continued as a stretching roll of paved dirt. On either side of the path were expanses of long, green grass, housing multitudes of various flowers and some weeds. To the left was an extension of a lush mesa, probably the area we had just come from. There was a small windmill in front of it, also behind a small creek bleeding from the little mountain; the source of the water I heard earlier. We seemed to be in the countryside.

I could see it in the distance. Bandle City's iconic, nostalgic frame. The whimsical roofs of the numerous odd houses peaked out from behind trees, making them easily recognizable. I pointed, tapping Kennen's shoulder animatedly.

"See that?"

"Yup."

"Bandle City!" I exclaimed with a wide grin. He returned a smile, though his wasn't nearly as large or enthusiastic as mine.

We kept walking the path and following the rivulet, the windmill disappearing behind us and the looming mountain fading to a silhouette. Nothing special, really. I was so used to walking paths that it might as well have come to me as often an action as breathing. But in Bandle? I hadn't been here in ages. And I meant ages. I had left for Demacia all those years ago, and I never looked back all that much. Until now, of course.

I was kind of nervous. We were drawing closer to my - _our_ birthplace by the step, by the second. Skittish thoughts raced through my head. _Would people remember me? Would they accept me? Would I be seen as an outcast? Could I make friends? How the heck would I be able to get by in Bandle City after centuries of Demacian living? _It was all so exciting, but honestly, it was even more nerve-wracking.

Suddenly, Kennen came to a halt, staring at me expectantly. I stopped walking too, pretty confused as to why he had stopped. The ambience of the setting, from the peaceful creek to the long grass swaying in the gentle wind, made for a restful but awkward scene.

"Wait, remind me what we're doing here?" he asked suddenly. "We're trying to find your 'hero', correct?"

"Uh, yeah."

He surveyed the area around us, breathing in the landscape and pulling out a discarded heart-shaped locket that I assumed he had picked up earlier. In the center of the broken locket was a family photo of a smiling dark-furred yordle with striking yellow eyes, next to four other yordles that were impossible to make out because of the tattered state of the item. I sensed a deep sadness in the distance.

After a brief moment, Kennen turned and sternly looked me in the eyes. It was strange; he was _very _serious in the moment. In fact, I had never seen him this serious, even after I saved him the first time and we met, or when I took him through the suspicious shadow field.

"Are you certain about this?" he questioned grimly. "No offense, but people here don't look very capable."

"I'm sure we'll be able to find-" I tried to reply, but was harshly cut off.

"You said that most, or maybe some people you tried to give your hammer to would end up dying because they lacked the knowledge to use it," he raised his voice a bit, before his tone ceased back to his usual, rather quiet voice. "You... don't want to get some random innocent yordles killed, do you?"

"Oh, shoot," I say, startled.

"How long have you even been searching?" he asked, noting my shock.

I gulped, not keen on revealing an answer. "L-Let's say... uh, a couple centuries?"

"What the h-"

"I-I know, I know."

"Maybe... maybe you should take a rest," the ninja said, sighing. "How do you think this is affecting your overall physical, spiritual, and not to mention mental and emotional well being?"

My ears drooped and I assembled a frown. He had a point. I rarely gave mind to the people I unintentionally killed by trying to test their capabilities to use the hammer. _Was it… was it worth it? _I pondered.

Maybe I'd become mad. Searching tirelessly for the so-called Hero of Demacia really took its toll on me, mentally above all things. Now that I thought about it in a serious light, it's all I've thought about constantly, basically every day and every night since I took that hammer from Orlon. I hated to admit it, but I more or less had a one-track mind.

But Kennen was going to challenge it.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

He looked surprised, taken aback almost, as if he didn't expect me to agree with him so easily. I didn't blame him. Another quality I disliked acknowledging about myself was that I was pretty stubborn sometimes. Okay, maybe _all _the time.

"And now that we're here," he began before pausing.

I listened in quiet anticipation. I noticed him turn his eyes to the ground and sniffle a bit, as if repressing a hidden hint of sadness for some reason. He looked around us at the beauty of the countryside, examining trees and small structures from where we stood.

He met my eyes once again and continued. "You, no, _we_ could really replenish ourselves. I have to admit, I do feel a little distant and perhaps even a _little _homesick. Meet, reconnect with some other yordles."

"Well," I started. "Not a bad idea."

"Actually, I think even my mental state has been drained somewhat," Kennen professed. "I haven't been able to focus lately. I feel like that's the real reason why my master wanted me to leave him. Not to mention that I nearly died in a battle, if not for you."

I smiled. It was the least I could do.

"Yeah. Well, I could really meet some of the people here, actually," I admitted. "I was so awkward when I was younger, I only knew a few yordles back then. I hope they still live here."

"Me too," he confessed awkwardly, and swiftly ran off into the middle of a nearby field, just off to the side of a small orchard.

"Hey, wait for me!" I laughed. But he was too fast; he had continued running and already rushed out of earshot. I knew he was a ninja, but seriously, he was _really _fast.

I knelt on the fresh grass and placed my hammer in front of me. I gazed gently at my distorted reflection in the cool, gray metal. A sudden breeze blew my hair around, covering my eyes and blinding me for a second. I laughed contentedly as I gazed off after my friend, who was hastily climbing a tree.

Orlon once told me the importance of _perspective _in daily life with others. About how I could gather information and insight from others about different matters, and about myself, with the differing perspectives of other people around me. Being able to look at things from multiple points of view was a healthy practice, and one of the best perks of friends.

Orlon's voice spoke in my head, his veteran tone no different from all those years ago. _"Alone, you may find things, sure__. But with a new perspective, a fresh set of eyes, you will be able to uncover so much more."_

I smiled, glad to have seen through Kennen's fresh set of eyes.

Perhaps he really was right. A break from my unending quest would do me well. I would settle in to a relatively typical life for a while, and forget everything about searching for any hero and delivering my hammer.

A duty postponed, to pursue a normal life.

What had I become?


	10. Chapter 9 - Me, the Hero?

I need some time to think.

What in the world was that dream? It was so vivid. So strange. Convincingly lucid, yet unreal. What even happened in the real world while I was trapped in that fantasy?

I perch on a high branch of a relatively tall middle-aged oak tree and begin to do some scrupulous contemplating. That is, until the tree suddenly quakes violently and I start to lose my balance, both physically and mentally. Like the other day when I was fighting those shadows, I remind myself grimly.

She's whacking the tree lightly with her hammer. I don't think she could climb up here, so she's trying to make me come down instead. My mischievous, playful side kicks in; I'm just about to taunt her when the branch I'm standing on bounces up spring-style, causing me to jump, then teeter uncomfortably, then fall off.

She drops her hammer and rushes underneath my fall, catching me with both arms before I hit the ground. Not that I would have sustained too much damage, anyway. Maybe a little bruise, at most.

"Got you," she grins.

I roll my eyes and jump out of her arms. I look away from her, pretending to be distracted by leaves blowing ways off from us. As my mind wanders, I'm suddenly nagged by the urge to ask her something important, but I can't remember what for the time being.

Suddenly, it occurs to me that I don't even know the girl's name.

Awkward.

"Wait," I start timidly, but not before mentally slapping myself a dozen times. "You never told me. Heh... what's your name?" I say the last part quickly, worried that she might get offended and slap me or something. The girl has known my name for a while and more or less saved my life once, yet I've never even addressed her with a proper name.

She doesn't show any signs of hurt. Instead, she twiddles her thumbs and smiles at me patiently.

"Poppy. My name's Poppy."

I just stand there quietly and a bit guiltily.

_Wow, such a beautiful name_, I wonder to myself.

I insert my hand into my pocket. And quickly try to pull out a handful of those flowers I had picked from that nice little grove before we entered the bandlewood. But they aren't there. Sparkling, transparent wisps emanate from my pouch, and then it's just empty space. I sigh silently.

"Alright, Poppy." I suddenly remember what it is I want to ask her. And it isn't the most pleasant inquiry.

I collect myself before speaking, taking an unnoticeable inhalation through my mask, my nerves growing tense in anticipation. "What happened in the bandlewood? I've no idea, but I know I had a dream sometime between when we entered the portal and arrived here."

To my astonishment and absolute confusion, Poppy's face suddenly turns scarlet and her smile twists away. She stares straight at the ground, folds her arms, and repeatedly coughs.

"Are you well?" I ask, concerned but also very interested.

"N-no, I'm fine! I'm fi- I-I'm fine, I'm okay, okay?" she sputters. She quickly reverts to her regular tone, albeit speaking with a weak, unstable smile. "Kennen, trust me, I'm fine."

"Sure," I reply, very uncertain on what exactly I should say next. "I fell unconscious in there. I know because I just had a little dream there."

"None of my business, but what did you dream about?" she asks curiously, ignoring the first part of my sentence. She tilts her head at me as the tinge of red seeps from her face. I can tell she really does want to know, but me trying to explain that dream to her would be like trying to teach me how to use her hammer - nigh-impossible.

"Personal stuff," I answer with a delay.

"Oh." She looks kind of apologetic.

I try to smile at her and tell her it's fine, but I just can't look at her face. It's so strange; sometimes, I could get lost in a helpless, blissful trance staring into her eyes and those purple irises. Other times, I couldn't bear to meet her gaze for more than a second.

Poppy walks away wordlessly with her hammer, strolling in the direction of a nearby plaza. My eyes follow her for a few moments, studying her from her golden pigtails gleaming in the sunlight to her boots as they kick dust. I get up and trail after her. She sits on the rim of a large stone fountain, staring at the crystal clear water. So do I.

I cross my legs and look up, admiring the bumbling city of yordles before us, taking in the sights, sounds and smells as if our destination is meters in front of us. We are so close. Bandle City. The place I was born. Where my parents raised me tirelessly. Where I had a few friends. Where... where I grew up. A place I haven't visited extensively in ages; I had left for Ionia almost a century ago and on the rare occasion I did return to Bandle City for whatever reason, it was for a day's stay at maximum.

"Hey, Kennen?" Poppy asks as I stare at a tree absentmindedly. Her expression seems to be brighter now, I notice.

"Yeah?"

"W-we're friends, right?"

The question heavily perplexes me. Assuming that her definition of a 'friend' is the same as mine, then of course we were friends, and she knows it. I had chosen, if not _insisted _on accompanying her, because I felt a mutual bond between us. I was the one who wanted to be friends with her, if anything. So why is she asking this question?

"Yeah, of course we're friends," I reply with a half-smile. "Why?"

"I dunno, it... it's just, I haven't had a real friend like you for a long time."

"Really?" What she says gives me a startle as much as it confounds me. "Don't you have friends in Demacia?"

"Ah, I-I was talking about yordles."

"Oh. I see. No yordles in Demacia?"

"Barely. But, I can't exactly say I have many non-yordle friends as great as you back in Demacia either," she smiles, tugging the tip of my hood.

Now I'm just getting embarrassed. I feel my ears turn hot at the compliment. "Thank you," I force myself, a little strained. "But wouldn't you still have some true friends in Demacia? Or maybe someone you met while journeying? I'm only one of those people. Not to mention, we've only known each other for... about a day."

"Doesn't mean I can't like you."

"Okay, quit the flattery."

She giggles tenderly as I fold my arms and practically roll my eyes to the back of my head. With my crossed legs, it looks like I'm meditating. _If only Shen could see me now_, I joke to myself. I picture my blue-clothed master suddenly appearing and witnessing my awkward position, and I can't help but stifle a laugh.

"But seriously, though," Poppy continues. "I-I admire a lot of people in Demacia. The king, his son, his seneschal, the sword-captain of the Dauntless Vanguard, a golem, even, but I wouldn't consider any of them to be close friends. Maybe... what's the word?"

"Acquaintances," I guess.

She laughs. "Yeah. Acquain- whatever, but not great friends. But I consider the sword-captain's sister a friend. She, she's pretty nice. But most of the people I see I wouldn't call friends."

"And let me guess. You once saw literally all those people as potential candidates to be able to wield your hammer?"

"...Y-yes," she admits sheepishly, scrubbing a finger on the weapon's shaft.

I roll my eyes for the third time in the span of a half-hour. "And thankfully, they didn't die. Wow, Poppy, you're determined... if not totally obsessed."

She tucks her arm behind her head in shame. "Right. But the greatest friend I ever had was a human named Orlon. He's the one who gave me the hammer, and why I keep on looking to find a hero. Have I told you about him?"

"You did, when we first met," I confirm, not wanting to elicit a rant from her. "And I told you about my clanmates. I don't know about you, but I would consider colleagues friends of mine."

"The ninjas?"

"Correct. They may appear to be purely no-nonsense to outsiders, but intimately, you'll be able to see that they're just like any other person. Friendly, funny, kind, you name it." It's true. Shen, although he seems extremely stoic and emotionless (as part of his role as the Eye of Twilight) during battle, missions, or simply while in public, he does have quite an evident sense of humor and compassion in private or small, familiar groups. Akali may come off as rude, condescending and certainly intimidating to those she deems worthy of it, but whenever I spent time with her, she proved to be quite sweet and attentive.

"Got it," Poppy beams, her tenseness from earlier now totally vanquished. "Kennen, I've got another question."

"Yes?"

"What do you think about the importance of 'perspective'?"

"Perspective?" I respond, confused. She asks some strange questions sometimes.

"I remember something Orlon told me. He told me that other people can see things I can't."

"Well, some people with gifts or curses are able to see ghosts," I joke. "But if you mean perspective as in people's viewpoints on something, then that _is_ very much true." I smiled. "This was something Great Master Kusho once told _me_."

"Wow," she comments, glancing at her reflection in her hammer, then turns back to face me, a hint of shyness in her attitude. "So, from your, from your perspective... what do you think of me?"

Her question, yet again, stumps me. I'm unsure of what to say; how honest I should be, without risking hurting her feelings. I'm not even totally certain about my _opinion _of her, since we've only known each other for about a day.

"Well, I think you're brave... you're strong. You're tenacious... uh, nice," I list off, but I'm not sure of what specific aspects of her I should point out to her. She smiles a little, gripping the handle of her hammer bashfully. And then something astonishing occurs to me.

"Hey. Poppy?"

"Yeah?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that the hero you've been looking for all this time," I begin, hesitating a little. No, hesitating a _lot_.

"Hmm?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that the hero you've been searching for for so long," I repeat vaguely, drawing a breath before I continue. "Could be _you_?"

She stares at me, dumbfounded.

"Okay, hear me out. You've been trying, for a long time, to find worthy candidates to use your weapon, including seasoned, veteran warriors, I suppose. And you said that the person who would lead Demacia to glory, the hero you're looking for, would be someone who could use the hammer properly."

She nods slowly.

"You can use that thing well, can't you?"

Another wordless nod.

"Poppy, you may very well be the hero. You may be too humble to realize it, but I, from _my _perspective, don't doubt that you're the hero you're looking for."

A few moments of silence pass between us as she meticulously muses on my suggestions. I study her expressions of thought, worried I might affront her. After all, she had supposedly been trying to find her hero for literal centuries, and if I were in her position, I would definitely be outraged if I found out the person I was looking for was myself the whole time, alongside a whole bunch of other emotions.

Finally, she opens her mouth. I wait for an answer, but instead she begins to titter silently. It soon converts into a soft laugh, then a full-blown cackle, amidst occasional bouts of snorting and sniffling while she clutches her stomach. I can see laughing tears streaming from her eyes, which are damp and squeezed shut.

"Whew. Okay, I-I'm sorry," she huffs, still smiling. "But me? The hero? Nah. That's ridiculous."

I raise an eyebrow at her. Then sigh.

"Okay, we should get going," she propounds, her voice more serious this time. "It's almost evening, and we've been going... nowhere."

I can't help but express my surprise. "What? How is it almost evening already?"

"Time is different in Bandle City," she reminds me. "It'll be strange to get used to after living in Demacia for so long. You too for Ionia, I-I guess, but you've been here a couple times. I haven't."

"Alright. Where to?"

She fumbles around, pacing from side to side while looking around the countryside. Her lashes are still wet from her guffawing earlier. "Uh, a place to stay?"

"Any suggestions?" I ask. I barely remember this place, let alone her. Not to mention there could be some changes since the last time I visited, whenever that was.

Baffled, she doesn't give an answer, and silence falls on us for a few seconds. "We're so lost," I mumble to myself.

Poppy frowns in realization. She tidies her hair, scanning the Bandle skyline from where we stand, observing the houses and other architecture. Her eyes move back to what's nearby; trees, more crude structures, a creek, and such. We're the only two yordles for at least a mile, probably.

Then she turns back to face me, a wide, cheeky grin on her face.

"Yep."


	11. Chapter 10 - The Cat and the Book

**For nine chapters there have been no new characters, only mentions of some that probably aren't going to be in this fanfic anyway. Well, that changes this chapter. And you can probably infer from the chapter title who the new character is :)**

**I'll definitely introduce more new characters pretty soon, maybe later, but I don't know when. As Poppy and Kennen are going to be in Bandle City, and the fanfic is mostly centered around yordles, do expect a lot of them to be introduced as new characters. Also, I may add some OCs here and there just to keep the character roster from being too bland.**

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

Kennen thought of me as a friend. A _friend_. Not just an acquaintance or whatever that word was, but a _friend_. I was so relieved. I liked him for sure, but I didn't know if the friendliness was mutual by his passive attitude. He was generally quiet, not super talkative, and he even seemed distant sometimes. I couldn't help but smile goofily at him. He caught me mid-grin, returning my expression with his own wry smile. Embarrassing.

"Whatever," the ninja smirked dismissively, before nodding towards an opening in the trees in front of us. "Let's go."

I couldn't stress it enough, but I was excited and at the same time nervous to visit Bandle once again. I had to calm my mind and think optimistically. _When we get there, we'll try to fit in. We'll go somewhere, take a rest, and I won't think too much about finding that hero, blah blah blah whatever..._

On another note, we were lost. We'd been wandering the Bandle countryside for about two and a half hours now, accompanied by the sound of flowing river, unsure of where we should go. Sure, we could see the actual city a mile or two in front of us now, but to get to this point we basically had to navigate a labyrinth. Unlike the countryside of a city like Demacia, Bandle City's was more like a woodland; chock full of tall trees and dense foliage. And not to mention, the paths pointed and twisted everywhere.

I passed through the gap in the trees after Kennen. The forest was _very _thick now, with minimal light passing through the canopy. The small streaks of orange sunset passing between the leaves and branches of the woodland made for a certain... _calming _atmosphere that I really liked. I could tell Kennen enjoyed it too; he was stopping and heaving in between every ray of sun, as if breathing in the warm light.

Suddenly, I heard something strange coming from a cluster of bushes behind us. A rapid flipping, almost, like... _someone speed-reading a picture book?_ I turned around, and I instantly ditched both my worry and tranquility when I recognized the familiar face in front of me.

"Yuumi?"

A creature with big blue irises, pastel blue fur and pointed ears beamed up at my gaze. It wasn't a yordle, definitely not a human, believe it or not, but a _cat_. The feline floated above the ground, up to my eye level when I stood up. She literally rode on a magical book which was once owned by her master, a yordle sorceress named Norra. I knew her; she had shown up in Demacia one drab day, looking as lost as a toddler in a flea market. We had become good friends, and she would stop by my place every once in a while to say _hello_, give me something or just keep me company. Like me, she was on an unending mission to find someone - in her case, her master.

The cat cocked her head curiously before recognizing me, at which her eyes became wide and round as marbles. "Hey, Poppy! That's you, right?" she meowed happily.

I nodded and smiled cordially in response. Well, not really. What actually showed on my face was more of a funny mixture of happiness and surprise. "I-I can't believe it. You _live in Bandle City? _Or are you just visiting?"

"I live here," she replied, licking her paw. "Didn't I tell you when we first met? And again when we went fishing that one time? Right before you fell in the river?"

"Whoops, must've forgotten," I mumbled, embarrassed at her reminder. "Good times, though."

"Well, I did," she puffed, emphasizing the small, gaudy mane on her chest, which boasted a dark blue hue. Around the patch of fur was a pretty little collar, seemingly made of copper, decorated with a teeny blue amulet in the center. "By the way, have you met Book?"

"Yup. Also, he was the one who pushed me in the water." Yes, according to Yuumi, Book is apparently male.

The small feline flashed me a toothy grin, before looking down at her floating novel and sighing disapprovingly. Book lurched upward, bouncing her into the air a little. "No! Bad Book. Poppy, hold on." She faced away to confront the magical object.

Kennen turned and squinted, his eyes suddenly sparkling.

"I swear, that bandlewood might have done some weird stuff to me," he spoke with an unstable tone. "Is that a cat sitting on a levitating book?"

"I dunno," I lied, concealing a snigger.

He inched forward to tap a distracted Yuumi with his finger, probably trying to figure out for himself if she was real. The blue cat just remained there, floating in place, seemingly scolding her sentient book while being totally unaware of Kennen's presence. The yordle's finger moved forward and - _boop _\- tapped her right on her back.

"Ahhhh! It's real?!" Kennen screamed, causing me to double over with laughter and Yuumi to withdraw in alarm. Book just quickly flipped its pages as a reaction. Not much a book can do.

After we all calmed down, Yuumi approached and eyed Kennen, carefully studying him, despite his hinting at wanting his personal space uninvaded. Her eyes widened again, probably in realization that he was a new face.

Quickly, the cat dismounted Book and prowled to where I watched in amusement. "Oooh, who's that?" she chimed softly. "A _pet_? _Family_? A _friend_?"

Knowing Yuumi, I knew where this was going, but I didn't answer. Not only did I not have much to say in response to her questions, but she was one fast talker.

"Gasp! No way! A _boyfriend_?" she sang slyly, suddenly zooming behind me and pulling on one of my pigtails.

My face reddened on command, and Yuumi beamed in triumph. I stole a quick glance at Kennen. Oh, thank heavens. He was distracted, studying the movement of the water in a nearby brook with eerie concentration.

"V-very funny, kittycat," I stuttered lightheartedly while tidying my hair. "...sh-shut up, Yuumi. H-he's not." Yuumi was always the type to tease people. Playfully, of course, but I would not respond very well to her antics sometimes.

"Whatever you say," she purred. "Anyway, I thought you didn't like yordles."

I ignored the possible implications of her claim and answered her seriously. "I never said I didn't. I just never, y'know, I-I never felt like I fit in. I feel like other yordles might not, y'know, like me?" It was kind of hard explaining stuff this personal to someone, even to friends.

"You, _you_ don't fit in? Other yordles wouldn't like you?" she chirped, preparing another tease. "You would _totally _fit in. Other yordles would _totally _like you. I never saw yordles much where you live, but whenever I saw any guys there they would be staring at you _all_ the time."

"Thanks, Yuumi," I grumbled sarcastically, before laughing gently.

Book suddenly flew over to Kennen, scaring him so much that he fell into the river, sending tiny sparks flying everywhere. I tried my best to restrain a snicker. Yuumi jumped onto Book and studied the fuming wet yordle from the parched dryness of the novel.

"Really, Book?" she reprimanded, leaping onto the flying object and cupping her ear to a page, as if listening to it. She shrugged dismissively. "Well, okay."

Book flipped to a certain page and enveloped the cat with an eldritch spell, making Yuumi to appear to float by herself in the air while being surrounded by a blue aura. Other than Lux, Yuumi and Book, when they paid me a visit, were one of the rare occurrences of magic I was able to witness in Demacia. She leaned forward, meeting Kennen's electric stare.

"Hi! I'm Yuumi, and this is Book!" she presented quaintly. "I'm a magical cat! Book is a magical… _book_. You must be wondering why my name isn't Cat, since I'm a _cat_, and Book's name is Book because he's a _book_."

She babbled on without even stopping to draw a breath. I had long lost her in her quick words, but the wet ninja seemed to be keeping up. Kennen kept his ears up and shook violently, sending water flying in all directions, though his clothes were still soaked. Still listening, he stepped out of the creek.

"…And that's why I'm still in Bandle City!" finished Yuumi, entire minutes later, without skipping a beat. "What's your name?"

"My name is Kennen. I hail from Ionia," he said humbly, removing his mask and giving a light bow. Very briefly, too, compared to Yuumi's long monologue.

"Nooooo, you're a _yordle_. You are from Bandle City."

"Yes, essentially every yordle hails from Bandle City. Pretty boring, huh? So I set out to live in Ionia," Kennen said with what looked like a bit of a proud smile.

Yuumi looked slightly surprised at his display. "Yeah, Poppy thought like you," she said. "So she went to live in Demacia. She told me she met-"

"I already told him this," I interrupted, placing my hand on the cat's fuzzy head. To be honest, I didn't enjoy it too much when she talked for prolonged periods of time. That kitty sure knew how to chatter up a storm, but they weren't the kinds of storms I wanted to wait out.

She changed the subject, filling the atmosphere with an air of curiosity. "Where's _Ionia_?" she yapped briskly, the two words almost missing my notice altogether.

In response to her question, Book flipped to a page displaying Ionia's geography and general information (I knew nothing about Ionia, really, but it looked pretty genuine to me, and I didn't know what else to believe). It was just a book, sure, a magic book, but a really amazing one at that.

"Ohhh. I got it now, Book," Yuumi confirmed, petting Book's inner hinge, to which he jiggled playfully, as if being tickled. Kennen stared at their bizarre interactions with strange expressions; he looked slightly disturbed, but also outright amused at the same time.

"Well, nice meeting you, Kenny!" She flew around the ninja really quickly, before licking his snout from outside his mask. Kennen's eye twitched in response. She studied him with huge, googly eyes, before doing a flip and backing off. Yeah, she does that.

"It's Kennen," corrected the ninja quietly, wiping the slobber from his nose. Yuumi didn't hear; she was back to perching on and stroking a joyful Book again.

"Don't worry about her," I whispered. "She's just a little… extroverted."

"Uh-huh."

I got up and walked around. I really needed to stretch. Naturally, Kennen followed me, strolling along by my left. Yuumi, bubbly as ever, wasn't too far behind as Book raced in between us. The feline began to jabber randomly, mostly talking about Book, her master, and how glad she was to see me. Although, I doubt that either of us were paying any attention, and Kennen might have started to get irritated.

"Are you guys gonna stay here awhile?" she screamed into our ears.

"I, I… don't know," I answered. Kennen didn't say anything; he was staring at Book, who was opened to a random page with a picture of a jungle and runic symbols and words that I couldn't even begin to understand.

"I have an idea!" she trilled loudly, startling all three of us. Book flipped his pages in surprise, causing Kennen to grunt in frustration as the page he was reading was lost.

The magical cat paused and stood still for dramatic effect. She would almost be perfectly still if not for Book, actually, who was shifting unsteadily beneath her, making soft sighing noises. Kennen continued walking with his eyes fixed forward, unaware that Yuumi and I had stopped.

I smiled expectantly. "Well, let's hear it-"

"You guys can stay at my house!"

Kennen spun around, eyes as big as saucers. We both stared at Yuumi.

"_You_ have a house?!" we exclaimed in unison. Even I didn't know that.

"Well, it belongs to Master, actually. Not me. But now that she's gone, it's just me and Book living in that place. I don't know how we, or anyone else, haven't destroyed the thing already." She glared down at Book with a look of annoyance. "_Especially_ with Book's naughty behavior."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"There's lots of space. Always has been, even when Master was here," she murmured uncharacteristically, sniffling a bit.

"Aw, it's okay," I assured, noting her distress. "Master'll come back eventually."

"Thanks, Poppy. You're the best."

I nodded with a smile, petting Yuumi on the head and rumpling Book's pages playfully.

"A blue cat has a magical living book, and now it has a house," I heard Kennen chuckle to himself. "Just like in those dumb fairy tales Mom used to read me. I think I'm really starting to lose it."

I slung my arm around Kennen, who haphazardly tried and failed to pull me off. "Kennen," I whispered warmly. "How does that sound? We're gonna stay at Yuumi's house so long as we're in Bandle City."

"Why?"

"We don't have a choice." Indeed, we were super lost and the dingy evening was blooming into dark night.

"Unless the house is a giant litter box or kitty play park, I have no objections," he responded feebly. He turned his eyes to Book, a subtle, cheeky smirk forming on his lips. "Or a library."

"Okay!" I told Yuumi, suddenly very excited to be spending time with yet another friend. "We'll be staying at your house!"

She looked ecstatic. "Yay! Let's go! I'll show you around!"

Kennen crossed his arms, eyes fixated on Book as he glowed with magical pink energy. The living tome prepared to take off, but just before he could move an inch, Yuumi pulled at his hard spine and stopped him, peering at me rather mischievously.

"By the way, Poppy," whispered the cat.

"Yeah?"

"Ken-Ken is kinda cute, no?"

"Sh-shut up, Yuumi."

Without wasting a second, a hasty Book hightailed it far into the dim, dusk-lit woods, taking a maniacally laughing Yuumi with him. I stared at the area where the two had disappeared, steaming and rolling my eyes but grinning softly as the light sound of fluttering pages and incessant meowing echoed between the bushy trees.

"Come on, slowpoke."

I grabbed Kennen by the arm and we chased after the pair.


	12. Chapter 11 - Yuumi's Cottage

Who knew a cat and a conscious spellbook could live in such a cozy place? Sure, it's kind of old-fashioned, but it's nothing I'm not used to. But the place more than makes up for it by having really neat luxuries.

The two-story cottage is situated in a clearing amidst dense, verdant trees not far from where we met Yuumi. There are nine main rooms across the two floors: a kitchen, dining room, restroom and den on the lower floor, and a bedroom, study, and another restroom on the upper floor. There are also two large miscellaneous rooms filled with random objects. All the rooms are essentially connected to others, or by tiny hallways.

A colorful garden filled with exotic flowers and herbs surrounds the house, and there's another, smaller one in the center of the building, underneath an opening in the roof. There's a small balcony, observable from outside, that seems to extend from a wide corridor upstairs, with a collection of ceramic potted plants and a comically large telescope steadily placed on the deck. There is also a set of binoculars mounted on a pod, which seems redundant as all you could really see around this particular area is trees.

The building itself is made mostly of some type of bright wood, and painted in a whimsical, almost childish style. Various paintings, drawings and paneless windows line the walls, and some loose branches growing from who-knows-where stem through certain places, whether alone or in coiled tangles. From the looks of it, a passerby would never be able to tell that a _cat and a literal sentient book _lived here, in the absence of their master.

Overall, the house looks like it's from a fairy tale. And, strangely enough, the humble cottage is quite small when viewed from the outside, appearing to be no bigger than a small bungalow; however, once we stepped _inside_, we couldn't help but notice that the house actually appears far bigger in the interior; nothing too overly pretentious like a mansion, but still considerably spacious.

_Magical properties, perhaps? The cat did claim her master was a sorceress on the way here_, I contemplate with interest. I, for one, am not familiar with magic; something most yordles have proficient knowledge of. Poppy is even less familiar.

Yuumi is the first to enter the house, poised comically on her sentient book. The cat promptly alights the object to groom herself on a mat in front of the main doorway while the latter floats by the door, unremittingly flipping its pages. Poppy enters five seconds after her (as a result of the book stalling in front of the door), tugging my hand and gently pulling me inside. She puts her pack on what looks to be an old, but somehow still shiny mahogany shoe rack, then her hammer. I'm surprised the huge weapon doesn't just crush the wooden thing under its weight. She steps inside, marveling at the interior of the house, still clutching my wrist.

"Welcome. This cozy little place is what I call my home!" Yuumi declares proudly, her book shuffling next to her as she meows with enthusiastic pride, bearing a disgustingly wide smile.

After a brief moment of surprisingly inert yawning, the feline begins showing us around the house, a palpable aura of excitement shimmering around her so brightly that it almost blinds me; or maybe it was just the book performing some odd flamboyant enchantment on her. First we come across the den, the closest room to the entrance, and apparently the largest one.

"This is the living room," Yuumi twitters in her high-pitched voice. "I _love_ taking little naps here and feel the sun petting my back. Grooming in the sunlight is the _best_. At night? Great too, but not as good. Book really likes this room too. Trust me, I can tell. But for some reason he leaves whenever I cough up any hairbal-"

Besides my apathy, I'm too weary to pay proper regard, honestly. It's nighttime, and typically, as an insomniac, I would have no problem staying awake (I'm a natural insomniac, it's not related to my energy powers). My attention span at the moment feels like that of my younger self before I trained to become a ninja; extremely low, but rather than hyperactivity being the cause, I'm just extra tired for some strange reason.

"...And don't forget the sofa. You can't forget the sofa. It's, like, _totally _the best part of the living room," babbles Yuumi. "It's like a throne! But it's twice as short and twice as fat. It doesn't look as cool but it can fit multiple yordles. And a cat. And a book! It's so comfy..." She swoons, lying on the red couch, soon joined by Poppy.

Then she shows us to the kitchen and dining room. Poppy practically skips after her, while I slog forward, struggling to even keep up. She emphasizes showing off the numerous cupboards and fridges and massive pantry in the kitchen, which are all humorously clogged with an ungodly amount of fresh food.

"Check it out! Look at all this _food_! There's so much of it here. Cupcakes, corn, peas, bread, cheese, cream, cupcakes, bread, bananas, fruit, candy, cupcakes, beans, candy..." she lists off, before forming a stony scowl. "...but we never have any fish!"

The cat dips her head in a mountain of what looks like sweets, and stuffs her face full of the treats. She looks like a blue squirrel, with chocolatey, honey-like sticky substances seeping from her mouth, but I'm too exhausted to laugh.

"Mmmmm, so _good_," comes her muffled voice from inside the clump of confectionery. Soon, she pops out of the mess, spraying bits of the pile of candy everywhere. "Care to have some, friends?"

She tosses Poppy and I two random pieces of unknown food from a plate, insisting that we eat them since we had skipped dinner (and almost two days of proper meals, which she didn't know). Poppy squeals in delight. I end up gagging.

Yuumi leads us to the center of the house, where the indoor garden is. Shimmering moonlight streams through the top of the house, shining through a hole in the floor of the second story, then cloaking the miniature indoor garden with gleaming silver. This is my favorite part. Watching humble plants grow peacefully from indoors. How awesome is that?

"And I don't need to show you the bathroom," shrugged the cat. I'm about to ask her why and follow with a joke, but Poppy catches my roguish smirk and silently slaps me on the back, forcing me to retract my words.

We follow Yuumi upstairs; the two floors of the house are connected by an elegant spiral staircase, definitely standing out from the rest of the house's theme. It winds beyond a square opening in the ceiling, opening into the new story, where a small lobby awaits, hallways branching from the area.

She shows us to the study room next. It's quite small compared to the other rooms so far, but it's filled very compactly; almost a dozen bookcases are lined neatly along the walls, crowded with volumes and novels of all kinds - not a shelf left incomplete. Some stationery and paper lies on a desk situated in an edge of the room, facing a singular window.

"This is Book's favorite room," meows the jovial feline, gesturing to the study room, and I swear I could hear a grunt come from the floating novel. "You can read stuff here. _Lots_ of stuff! This was also _Master's_ favorite room," she sighs longingly. The cat gets on my nerves with her patent exuberance, like how I used to annoy people when I was younger. But I can't help but feel sorry for her there.

I stride to a set of peculiar looking cabinets placed against the northern wall. One of the drawers is open a crack, and what looks like a necklace is hanging out of it limply. Curiously, I shift away from Yuumi and Poppy as the former shows off her favorite picture novel, provoking a discontented sigh from her sentient book. Inside each of the drawers are odd trinkets of all kinds, ranging from reasonable trinkets like jewelry, coins, keychains and antique teacups, to eccentric oddities like broken glass, kitchen utensils and ugly fabrics.

"Ah! I see you've found it," comes Yuumi's sudden, buoyant voice, startling me enough that I almost drop a small ceramic plate. "These drawers are _full_ of Master's old trinkets! When she went on her adventures, she used to collect stuff like crazy!" She motioned to a small copper figurine, in the likeness of a sardine. "This one's my favorite."

We leave the room, following the cat's gestures. The enervation on my body is beating me down inexorably, and it's as if I have to consume an unreasonable amount of energy to keep my eyes open. As far as I can recall, never in my life since I became a ninja have I ever felt exhaustion to this degree, and so unprovoked, too. I feel like I want nothing more than to fall into a deep, deep slumber in the next room.

Finally, _finally_, she shows us to the bedroom. A cool, comfy resting place, if not a tad small compared to my bedroom back at home. Throughout the entire tour, I was so excited for this part, regarding my current physical state. I'm ready to remove my clothes, flop on to the bed, and enjoy a good night's sleep for once. I desire it so badly, I'm already beginning to imagine it.

"This is the bedroom. Who _doesn't _love the bedroom? Kids, pets, cats, dogs, rats, books, yordles, couples... I _love _the bedroom! Look at the view from here! See the window? And look how soft this bed is! Even _better_ than the sofa, somehow!"

Poppy squeaks with excitement and jumps on the bed, bouncing around childishly. I pinch my forehead and try not to doze off on the spot just by looking at the texture of the mattress reacting to her bouts.

After that extensive, unnecessarily long (but appreciated) tour, we're all ready to crash in for the night, I'm sure.

"Yours Truly's fabulous tour is finished," pronounces Yuumi in a deliberate accent that causes me to cringe. "Any questions?"

Poppy looks at me, my eyes still groggy and half-open, and shakes her head, shrugging at Yuumi. I smile at her, but withdraw it when she looks back at me solicitously.

"You guys can leave to go explore Bandle City any time you like, by the way," the cat informs us, prodding me awake. "I'll show you where it is. Tomorrow!" Oh, joy.

She leaves the room with her book and the two dash off to the den. We could see them from the lobby at the top of the spiral staircase; the cat falls asleep on a miniscule blue kitty bed, with the novel covering her like an incongruous blanket soon after, ruffling her blue fur. That just leaves Poppy and I.

Poppy sits by a window and stares at me with an ambiguous expression between goofy smile and sympathetic grin. I, of course, stare blankly at her. There is an awkward, tangible silence between us as we gaze at each other uncomfortably, and in my case, in a daze.

"Kennen, you look tired," she manages at last, breaking the silence. Yeah, no _crap_.

"Y-yess-s," I slur drowsily, barely tasting the three-letter word on my tongue.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeeah-h, I sh- I should be fiine... mm..."

She eyes me with a mixture of suspicion and concern clouding her face, before breaking into a confident grin. "Okay then. If you need anything, you know who to call." She pokes my nose with a finger, causing me to go cross-eyed, to her amusement.

"Ugh. Th-thanks, Poo- Pop- Poppy," I say, smiling weakly, my drab eyes shifting unstably and blinking independently of each other.

"Now, why don't you get some sleep?" she suggests. "It's been a long day. And you're not the only one." She cocks her head, gesturing to a soft, ambient snoring coming from the den.

"Goo- idea..."

I wave her off sloppily, ready go to sleep. Midnight is fast approaching. I hobble off to the bedroom, leaving Poppy to count stars from the hallway. Ugh, my head hurts, and my limbs feel like giving in.

"G-good night, Pop- Poppy..."

"Night, Kennen," her voice trails after me as I escape to the bedroom.

_Yuumi's then-master must have slept here_, I think to myself as I enter. It looks super comfortable indeed, with huge red curtains covering the windows, a nightstand with celestial-themed patterns on its sides, an antique brass lamp, rich mahogany desk, and other fancy but not garish items. And of course, a single, plain-looking bed; the crowning jewel.

Suddenly, I realize something.

Poppy and I would have to sleep on the same bed, mere inches away from each other.

I sigh a little. Then I sigh a lot, followed by a massive yawn. I complained about awkward before, but this really tops it. And if we're going to live here for more than one night, I'm going to have to get used to this...

_Yawn..._

I'm too tired to think straight. I head to the restroom next to the bedroom and take a quick shower, brush my teeth absentmindedly, and rinse my face with scalding hot water, which fails to vanquish my sleepiness anyway. I undress from my Kinkou attire, my garments now relatively dry, and change into a pair of clean black boxers before retreating to the oh-so-comfortable mattress; just like at home. I'm so drained both physically and mentally, I don't even consider the idea of shutting the lights off.

My exhausted subconscious paces around my new friends. Poppy, a determined hero-searching yordle girl with a hammer, is basically my closest friend now, and Yuumi, though definitely annoying, could very well strike a friendship with me soon. It's not much, but I'm glad I have friends, at least. I sigh and yawn again; it would be my last tonight.

I close my eyes and loosen my wandering thoughts, screening my view with absolute darkness - blissfully unaware that my unguarded mind would gleefully invite night terrors as I sleep.


	13. Chapter 12 - Nightmare

A sweet chorus of blackbirds roused me awake, the melody stirring me from my sleep. I stared, half-awake, at the bleak sun timidly emerging to the welcoming world outside the window.

_Huh? Morning already? _

I realized that somehow, I had fallen asleep in the hallway next to a window while counting stars and making out the constellations last night. I collapsed with my face pressed against the windowsill, but didn't notice how uncomfortable a position it was until now. Yesterday was tiring, that was for sure; Kennen went straight to the bedroom, too exhausted to even talk properly.

Suddenly, I could feel the furry surface of an animal brushing my nose. My eyes struggled to open to see what it was, but I jolted awake when the creature pressed its nose against my own and began to sniff me out, tickling me.

_Oh, it's just Yuumi_, I smirked to myself, relieved to see the amiable form of the blue feline in front of me. She was eyeing my drowsy face curiously and cautiously, as if she thought I was playing dead to try to scare her.

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead," she crowed, tapping my ear. "It's morning!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up," was my groggy reply.

"Sweet dreams," Yuumi teased. "Did you dream about _him?_"

"Wh- N-no," I spluttered. "Why?"

"Your face is pink."

I brushed her comment off and sighed, feeling the bridge of my snout. There was a horizontal mark imprinted on my face, a result of my laying my head down on the sill. I glared at Yuumi playfully, shaking my head and pointing to the pressed area.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "I was just playing."

"I know. I'm gonna go check on Kennen. I know he was tired, but he didn't seem too well last night."

Ignoring the teasing remarks echoing behind me, I stalked off to locate the bedroom. I didn't actually remember which room it was, but I found it easily nonetheless; the door was left open, the bed and nightstand easily visible from the corridor. Even the lights were still on. I guess he was just _that_ tired.

I crept in quietly, careful not to trigger any jarring noises. Kennen seemed to be passed out roughly in the center of the bed, his ninja clothing thrown in a sloppy heap next to the mattress. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. I couldn't help but stare and blush. A lot. _Ugh_.

Yuumi snuck up next to me, grinning suggestively at my expression, one eyebrow raised. I motioned for her to be silent, gesturing to the slumbering yordle. "We shouldn't, y-you know, wake him," I whispered as softly as I could while still being audible, to which the blue cat nodded. "He's still asleep."

_Except that he wasn't... was he?_

Because when I approached the bed to take a look at the tawny yordle, I could see that Kennen was crying. Not in a very normal way either; he seemed very much asleep, the only difference being that his eyes were shut forcefully - _fearfully_, even - and streams of unnaturally dark, fat tears were spilling down his cheeks and dissolving on contact with the aquamarine blanket, leaving it dry. A cringing guise plagued his face.

Yuumi and I gasped collectively. I tried to rush on to the mattress, but the feline quickly stopped me with a surprisingly strong grip from her tiny paws. She spoke, an uncharacteristically hoarse whisper in her tone. "Poppy, no-"

"Why?" I interrupted indignantly, desperately trying to reach the bed.

"Poppy, be quiet. And I'm serious this time," she berated with the most stern expression I've ever seen her wear. "Leave the room now. Shut the door. He'll be fine. _Probably._"

My stomach lurched at her final word. "_Probably?_"

"Yes, probably. Umm, most likely, I guess," she whispered covertly, guiding me through the small doorway. "It's really hard to tell. Especially with how..." She fumbled with her paws, searching for the correct word. "...how volatile _it _is."

"I don't think he's... w-whatever that means," I responded in confusion, missing most of Yuumi's sentence in my worry.

"Dangerous. Unpredictable. And I'm not talking about him," she clarified with an exaggerated frown, motioning to Kennen. "I can't describe _it_ exactly, but the creature I'm talking about, he's a demon of some sort."

I raised an eyebrow. "A d-demon?"

"Yeah, a demon."

"How do you know?"

"It's arrived here before. In the past. When Master was still around. Even shewas a victim of _it_. And me and Book couldn't do a thing." I glanced around at the mention of the living object, suddenly noticing that Book wasn't under or beside Yuumi for once.

My curiosity got the best of me. "Where's Book now?"

The cat gave a disdainful sigh. "Asleep. Anyway, this demon once arrived in Bandle City. It was night. _No one _was aware of him 'til morning. A whole buncha people woke up claiming they had terrible nightmares, which are pretty rare in Bandle because of yordle magic. Some were crying, some had sleepwalked, some even resorted to staying awake all night long. They said that the end of their dreams, a figure showed up. It looked like a shadow, they said. A shadow with wicked blades on its arms and cold, shining eyes. I never saw _it_ in my sleep, but Master did. And Master _never _has nightmares."

Wracked with contemplation, I found my voice. "A demon that m-makes people have nightmares? Hold on, Yuumi. That... that doesn't actually seem particularly dangerous. Are you sure?"

"Apparently, the demon was born from forbidden shadow magic near the end of the Rune Wars," Yuumi explained, switching her gaze from my face to the shut bedroom door. "You know about the Rune Wars, right?"

I nodded quickly. I was only somewhat familiar with this topic, but I didn't want a lecture on it. Especially not now.

"They say the demon was once bound to the spirit realm, killing random people - mages, spirit-walkers, who came through - to sustain itself like how you and me eat food to live. But it wasn't enough for it. Starving, it managed to invade people's minds within the material world as they slept. And as it haunted more and more sleeping victims via nightmares..." her voice trailed off momentarily. "...Believe it or not, _it _became stronger."

I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"Eventually, _it _became powerful enough to figure out a way to free - no, fully _escape_ from the spirit realm. They say it still exists, here, somewhere in Runeterra. _Nocturne_ has a physical form, creeping within the shadows, feeding on fear. And I hate to say it, but peaceful Bandle City, with most of its citizens not even knowing war, is a perfect feeding ground for a fear-eating demon."

I felt something unusual welling up within me as I slowly processed all the strange new information that Yuumi had just spewed in her usual fast tempo, albeit a little slower. But my mind was fixed solely on that name. _Its _name.

Nocturne. _Where in the world have I heard that name before?_

Yuumi continued. "Some people targeted by the nightmares go so crazy that they end up attacking each other. Their own family, friends, themselves even. It's mostly humans who get targeted, but not even yordles are safe."

"Are you sure? How can you tell there might be a demon and it's not just a coincidence that he's having nightmares?"

"Look." The cat opened the door a crack, just enough to allow us both to peer through. Besides the strange black tears streaming down the yordle's face, I only now noticed that he was muttering weird incomprehensible words to himself, in an almost pleading tone - as if he was on the brink of death, and begging to be spared in gibberish. Constant squeezing of the eyes and unprovoked flinching made him look like a weak target for sure; easy prey for any wandering demons.

Then I saw it. A light shadowy figure surrounding the bed, almost in the shape of a man, but without any form of legs I could make out. Its arms seemed to be exaggeratingly pointy, like blades. It was only a shadow, but it somehow seemed _alive_; I could almost see it sinking down onto the mattress, breathing menacingly.

I couldn't help it anymore. Unhindered, I flung the door open. The noise startled Kennen, breaking his sleep and hopefully his nightmare. Now awake and sitting messily on the sheets, the tan yordle rubbed his eyes wildly. Upon noticing me in the doorway, his eyes widened and he shriveled up in embarrassment. I could see that his sclera were a slight pink shade.

"Are y-you okay?" I asked anxiously, noting his quivering palms.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. Nothing happened, this just happens whenever I sleep."

Yuumi popped up behind me, skepticism making itself apparent on her little face and in her voice. "You had a nightmare, didn't you," she said seriously, concern decorating her words.

Kennen was silent for a moment before he admitted his fib. "Y-yes. How did you know?"

"You were crying and mumbling in your sleep. What did you even dream about?"

Kennen turned pale. "Well, uh, I-I don't remember."

Yuumi narrowed her eyes, staring at him suspiciously.

"Seriously, I don't," he restated, failing to ease the cat's accusing look.

"But what I do remember is this," he elaborated, with a noticeable quake in his shrill voice. "At the end of my dream, there was a shadow _creature _with blades on its arms. It stared at me with cold white eyes, laughing like a maniac, before swallowing me whole. And that's what woke me up. It's not the first time I've had a dream like this. I had one less than a day ago."

His description of the creature perfectly matched that of the shadow floating harmlessly on the bed. Yet Kennen didn't seem to notice it enveloped over him.

Yuumi turned to me, looking uneasy. The shimmer in her normally jolly blue eyes had faded out. "Oh, fishsticks. We might have a bit of a demon problem." She looked back at Kennen, scanning him from his unkempt bedhead to his shivering limbs.

The ninja yordle got up, scratching what seemed to be a minor ache on his left shoulder. "A demon?" Judging from his clearer, louder voice, he was now fully awake.

"If you've had that dream recently, you might be cursed," Yuumi pronounced softly, as if trying to shut out eavesdroppers. "You may have been selected as a target for whatever reason. You were lucky you didn't turn the lights off."

"What? Why?"

"Because _Nocturne _thrives in darkness."

"Nocturne..." the ninja mused, putting a hand to his chin as he thought. "That name sounds familiar somehow, but I can't seem to remember how in the slightest..."

"Don't mind it," Yuumi told him as I watched silently, also trying my best to remember any details about the name. "Just wake up."

"But I am awake."

"No duh, your eyes are open," she retorted sassily.

"Whatever. And one more thing," Kennen stated uncomfortably as he emerged clumsily from the bed. "Is this gonna happen whenever I sleep?"

"Likely," was the cat's sorry reply. "And Nocturne's dark magic only makes it easier for you to fall prey to his nightmares. I guess this is why you've been feeling sleepy?"

"That explains so much," exclaimed Kennen in sudden realization. "N-normally, I don't sleep much. But recently, for whatever reason, I've been feeling extremely tired. It's almost as if... as if the magic in my blood has been sapped somehow. I'm used to my body harboring high levels of energy almost constantly, but I've been feeling out of it, ever since I..." His voice waned.

"...since I last fought... with... Zed..."

Yuumi perked up, interested and apprehensive at the same time. "Zed? Who is he?"

"He's... he's a ninja who's an enemy of my clan. H-he's a practitioner of the dark arts," he explained briefly, giving the cat a slightly perturbed gaze. "I don't know. I j-just had a thought. Could this, maybe, perhaps, could this be _his _doing?"

"Hmm... maybe. But like I said earlier, it's best not to worry about it for now." And with that, Yuumi left the room, her petite form hopping daintily down the stairs as her tail stood upright behind her.

Kennen sat on the bed with crossed legs, his expression screaming anxiety. I could only look at him sympathetically as he returned my gaze with a weak smile. "I'll be fine." Even his voice seemed a little off.

"Come on, get up," I urged. "Like Yuumi said, don't worry about it."

The tan yordle did so, trudging to the nearby restroom with a limp in his step. Only after he was gone did I check around the empty bedroom, examining every little nook and cranny. As the hushed sound of running toilet flushing and running tap water, I searched and I searched. After a few minutes of careful patrolling, I could only conclude that everything seemed perfectly normal, aside from the default strangeness of the room in general. But I did notice something else.

The shadowy figure on the bed was gone.


End file.
